Assessment of rhesus and kell blood group antigens, phenotypes, and their allelic frequencies in North Indian blood donors

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of rhesus (Rh) and Kell antigens in a population vary with race, ethnicity, and geographical location. With advances in immunohematology, non-D antigens, and their corresponding antibodies are increasingly being found to be culprits for alloimmunization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Assessment of the phenotype of Rh and Kell blood group antigen in the healthy donor population from North India was done, and estimation of the frequencies of these alleles in our population was performed. RESULTS: The most common antigen in the North Indian donor population was “e” (95.6%) followed by “C” (89.6%), “c” (57.7%), and “E” (17.29%) in that order. The most prevalent phenotype in the Indian population was found to be “CDe” followed by “CcDe” and “CcDEe.” “K” antigen was found to be positive in 1.81% of the population. DISCUSSION: Knowledge of the Rh antigen profiles in a given population can be very helpful in formulating transfusion guidelines specific to a particular population with an aim to minimize the cost and maximize the benefits. With this aim in mind and considering the problems encountered in developing countries like ours, we conducted Rh and Kell antigen profiling of donors. Comparative analysis with other population studies and implications for transfusion protocols is evaluated. CONCLUSION: Assessment of Rhesus antigen profile of a particular population is useful to develop cost effective ways of providing maximum benefits of blood transfusion with least resources.