Alloimmunization in two multitransfused patient populations

A retrospective study was undertaken to determine the frequency of alloimmunization in two multitransfused patient populations. Three hundred eighteen unselected patients whose transfusion records were available were studied. One hundred fifty-seven patients had sickle cell disease (SCD) and 161 had thalassemia. Forty-four antibodies were detected in 23 of the 99 transfused SCD patients. The predominate antibodies were in the Rh group: seventeen were anti-rh'(E), eight were anti-rh'(C), and four were anti-rh' (C(w)). Of the remaining antibodies, five were anti-Kell, three were anti-Jk(a), two were anti-Jk(b), three were anti-Fy(a), one was anti-Bg(a), and one was anti-S. In the thalassemic patients, six antibodies were detected in 4 of the 39 transfused patients. Of these, there were two anti-Kell and one anti-Rh(o) (D), anti-rh'(C), anti-rh'(C(W)), and anti-Fy(a) each. Although the SCD patients were more likely to have been transfused at the parent institution than were the thalassemic patients (69% vs. 24%, p 0.05) for transfused patients in the two populations.