Frequency of Red Blood Cell Alloantibody in Kuwaiti Population

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the alloimmunization against red blood cells (RBC) among Kuwaiti population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of RBC alloimmunization among 179,045 Kuwaiti patients, pregnant women, and allogeneic blood donors was conducted for the period of 1992-2001. The frequency of 24 alloantibody specificities from 1,278 alloimmunized Kuwaitis was estimated. RESULTS: The prevalence of positive antibody screen in Kuwait was 0.49%. The five most frequently identified alloantibodies were anti-D (27.3%), anti-E (18.5%), anti-K (15.6%), anti-Le(a) (8.7%), and anti-Le(b) (6.6%). Frequency of alloimmunization was greater among Kuwaiti female than male patients (3.2 F to 1 M). Anti-D (p<0.001), anti-E (p=0.05), anti-K (p=0.04) were also more frequently identified alloantibody among Kuwaiti females. CONCLUSION: The results show higher predominance of RBC alloimmunization in females than males. Anti-D, anti-E, and anti-K were the most common clinically significant alloantibodies identified in the Kuwaiti population and were also more frequent among Kuwaiti females.