Red blood cell phenotype prevalence in blood donors who self-identify as Hispanic

Molecular genotyping platforms provide a quick, high-throughput method for identifying red blood cell units for patients on extended phenotype-matching protocols, such as those with sickle cell disease or thalassemia. Most of the antigen prevalence data reported are for non-Hispanic populations. Therefore, this study sought to determine the phenotype prevalence in a single blood center’s Hispanic population and to compare those results with previously reported rates in non-Hispanic donor populations. We performed a retrospective review of all serologic and molecular typing from donors who self-reported as Hispanic. The phenotype prevalence was reported and compared with rates from other racial/ethnic groups. A total of 1127 donors who self-identified as Hispanic were screened by serologic methods for Rh and Kell antigens, and 326 were subsequently selected for molecular typing. The most prevalent probable Rh phenotypes were R₁r (26.6%), R₁R₂ (21.5%), and R₁R₁ (20.7%); rr was found in 7.8 percent of donors tested. The percentage of K+ donors in this population was 2.8 percent. The most prevalent Duffy phenotypes were Fy(a+b+) (35.9%), Fy(a+b–) (35.6%), and Fy(a–b+) (27%). Of the donors studied, 15.3 percent had an FY GATA mutation. Only 1.5 percent of the donors were Fy(a–b–). The Jk(a+b+) phenotype was found in nearly half of the population. M+N+S+s+ was the most prevalent MNS phenotype from that group, constituting 22.4 percent. A total of 95.7 percent of the donors were Lu(a–b+), and Di(a–b+) was observed in 94.4 percent. The most prevalent Dombrock phenotype was Do(a+b+), constituting 46.9 percent, followed closely by Do(a–b+) at 40.5 percent. Hispanic donor antigen prevalence is distinctly different from other racial/ethnic groups and should be considered when attempting to find extended matched units for these patients. Immunohematology2017; 33:119–124.