Aqsa Aslam, Rabia Azmi, Masooma Zahra Sheikh, Iqbal Javaid.
Frequency of weak expression of "d allele" among healthy blood donors.
Pak J Physiol Jan ;11(3):22-4.

Background: Among different blood group systems, Rh system is second most important system. Its variants are classified in three groups. One of them is Partial D which is characterized by mutation in the extracellular domain of its gene. These variants may form anti-D antibody. Although in weak D it is not formed as it has less number of qualitatively normal antigens due to mutation. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency of Rh negatives, Rh positive and weak D individuals in the healthy blood donors. Method: A total of 315 blood donors were included in this cross-sectional study from Blood Bank of Jinnah Hospital Lahore, who were proven fit for blood donation. Venous blood was collected for forward ABO and Rh typing by tube method. Rh-negative blood was further tested for weak D. Results: The frequency of Rh-positive was 86.3% and Rh-negative were found to be 13.7% whereas, 1% individual were weak D-positive. Conclusion: Weak D antigen frequency is minor in comparison with Rh positive and negative. It is necessary to check for weak D status of an individual as some types of weak D can precipitate immune response in an individual who lacks Rh-D antigen.

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