ABSTRACT
ABO, Rhesus D and subgroups of ABO are highly immunogenic and are the common cause of antibody production in mismatched blood transfusions, haemolytic transfusion reaction and maternal alloimmunization. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of ABO, Rh D and subgroups of ABO among blood donors attending Specialist Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria. ABO, Rhesus D and subgroups of ABO antigen status of 176 blood donors with mean age of 30.44 � 8.210 years attending Specialist Hospital Sokoto were determined using tile method for ABO and Rh D and conventional tube method for anti- A1, anti- H reagents for ABO subgroups respectively. Among the 176 subjects tested, blood group O+ was the most frequent group with 93 (52.8%), 39 (22.2%) were blood group B+, 37(21.0%) were blood group A+, 5 (2.8%) were blood group AB+, 2 (1.1%) were blood group O-. No data was obtained for A-, B- and AB- blood groups. Out of 37 A blood groups obtained, 31 (83.8%) had A1 antigens and 6 (16.2%) had A2 antigens. Out of the 5 AB blood groups, all had A1B antigens. The study also shows that there was statistically significant difference between blood group A and ethnic groups (Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba) (p<0.05). Blood group O was found to be the most frequent followed by B, A and AB except among Hausa which revealed a pattern of O> A> B> AB. ABO, subgroups shows majority had A1 followed by A2 and A1B respectively.
ABSTRACT
Sickle cell disease is a global public health problem. L-arginine is an amino acid that helps in improving blood in the arteries of the heart and improved symptoms of clogged arteries, chest pain or angina and coronary arteries disease. Nitric oxide is a powerful neurotransmitter that helps blood vessels relax and improve circulation. The l-arginine and nitric oxide levels of sickle cell disease (SCD) subjects with steady stages were also significantly low. The objective of this study was to evaluate L-arginine and Nitric oxide levels in children with sickle cell disease at steady state for 8 weeks. This study included children with a confirmed HbSS electrophoretic pattern aged 1-14 years presented to the sickle cell clinic unit of Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe. The L-arginine and nitric oxide levels were significantly higher post supplementation compared to baseline levels (p = 0.002 and 0.000 respectively). It is recommended that L-arginine supplementation be included in the management of patients with sickle cell disease. L-arginine supplement should be made available in the paediatric emergency unit, clinic and pharmacy department as given to patients with sickle cell disease to prevent the adverse effects during the crisis and potentially reduce the length of stay in the hospital.