Objective: To investigate the seroprevalence and specificity of red blood cell (RBC) antibodies in multitransfused patients, in whom the risk of alloimmunization is especially high.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on blood specimens from 200 multitransfused patients. We evaluated all specimens for alloimmunization using various immunohematological tests via the column agglutination technique.
Results: The overall prevalence of RBC alloantibodies was 5.5%. Of the 11 specific types of alloantibodies identified, most (72.7%) belonged to the Rh blood group system, followed by the S, M, and Lewis blood group systems (9.1% each).
Conclusion: Most alloantibodies were of the Rh blood group specificity. To improve the quality of blood supplied, especially to patients with thalassemia, we recommend that Rh phenotyped, cross-match-compatible blood should be issued to prevent complications such as acute and delayed hemolytic reactions.
Keywords: alloimmunization; antibody identification; column agglutination technique; hemato-oncologic diseases; multitransfused; thalassemia.
Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).