Frequencies and ethnic distribution of ABO and RhD blood groups in the Volta region of Ghana, towards effective blood bank services

BACKGROUND: Blood is an essential body fluid for the transport of substances to all parts of the body. Knowledge of blood group distribution within any population is important in determining the direction of blood bank inventory for emergency blood services. OBJECTIVE: We report for the first time the blood group distribution pattern for the Volta region of Ghana. METHOD: Data were extracted and analyzed from 14,360 medical records of blood donors and recipients at seven major hospitals within the Volta region for a period of seven years (2012 to 2018) RESULTS: ABO distribution within the region was 46.3%, 18.9%, 24.4%, 3.1%, 4.4%, 1.7%, 1.3% and 0.1% for O+, A+, B+, AB+, O-, A-, B- and AB- blood groups respectively. Rh (D)+ to Rh (D)- ratio was 92.5/7.5% respectively. Blood group O+ (>35 %) was highest in all ethnic groups in the region. CONCLUSION: Healthcare facilities in the region should adopt a strategy to stock-pile sufficient O+ blood which is the prevalent blood group in the region. All types of blood groups were reported hence our findings should provide information to guide clinical practice and/or blood transfusion services in the region.