We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

QuidelOrtho

Develops, manufactures and markets rapid diagnostic tests that focus on infectious diseases, reproductive health, and... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Rh Alloimmunization Explored in Chronically Transfused Thalassemia Patients

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 01 Mar 2021
Chronic life-long transfusions are often required for patients with severe thalassemia to provide normal red blood cells and to suppress the patients’ own ineffective erythropoiesis. More...
Cumulative exposure increases the risk for red cell alloimmunization and subsequent delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions (DHTRs).

The prevalence of alloimmunization among patients with thalassemia ranges from 3% to 42%, with most antibodies directed against the Rh system. The Rh blood group system is not only the most immunogenic following ABO, but it is highly complex with more than 50 serologically defined antigens and more than 500 RHD and RHCE alleles identified.

Medical Scientists at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA, USA) examined retrospectively Rh antibodies among 40 chronically transfused patients (Asian, White, African Americans, Indian, Middle Eastern) with thalassemia receiving a mean of 174 serologic prophylactic RhD, C, E, and K matched red cell units. They examined the patients’ RH genotype, as well as donor race and Rh phenotypes over three transfusion events preceding antibody detection.

A 3-cell antibody screen was performed before each transfusion or when a new antibody or DHTR was suspected. In 2003, antibody identification transitioned from tube method to a gel-based method (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Raritan, NJ, USA). Red cell antigen typing was performed by tube method, but starting in 2017, they obtained genotypes via the Human Erythrocyte Antigen BeadChip (Bioarray/Immucor, Warren, NJ, USA). RH genotyping was performed with Bioarray/Immucor’s RHD and RHCE BeadChip arrays, and polymerase chain reaction–based assays.

The investigators detected 18 alloantibodies in 13 of 40 patients (32.5%), with an alloimmunization rate of 0.26 antibodies per 100 units transfused. Thirteen antibodies (72.2%) were directed against Rh (five anti-D, four anti-C, two anti-E, one anti-e, and one anti-V), despite donor phenotypes that confirmed lack of transfusion of D, C, or E antigens to patients lacking the corresponding antigen(s). Ten of 40 patients had an altered RH genotype, but the Rh antibodies were not associated with patients with variant RH. African Americans donors with a known high frequency of RH variants provided 63% of the units transfused in the three visits preceding unexplained anti-Rh detection.

The authors concluded that Rh alloimmunization not explained by the thalassemia patients’ RH genotype or the donors’ serologic phenotype suggests more precise matching is needed, and the role of donor RH genotypes on alloimmunization should be explored. Extending Rh D, C, and E matching to include c and e would result in better-matched units and further minimize Rh alloimmunization. The study was published on February 2, 2021 in the journal Blood Advances.

Related Links:
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
Bioarray/Immucor



Gold Member
Troponin T QC
Troponin T Quality Control
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
PSA Assay
CanAg PSA EIA
New
Pan-Cancer Panel
TruSight Oncology 500
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: Pancreatic cancer diagnosis (Photo courtesy of World Journal of Gastroenterology)

AI-Driven Preliminary Testing for Pancreatic Cancer Enhances Prognosis

Pancreatic cancer poses a major global health threat due to its high mortality rate, with 467,409 deaths and 510,992 new cases reported worldwide in 2022. Often referred to as the "king" of all cancers,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.