Frequency of abo and RH [D] blood groups among blood donors in Rawalpindi/Islamabad area

To determine the frequency of various ABO and Rh [D] blood groups among the blood donors in Rawalpindi/Islamabad area of Pakistan. Cross sectional descriptive study. Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion [AFIT], Rawalpindi from Sep 2010 to Jan 2011. A total of 4642 healthy adult, blood donors [volunteer and directed both] belonging to Rawalpindi/Islamabad region were included. From each donor 2 ml of EDTA blood was taken. ABO and Rh [D] blood grouping were carried out by tube method using commercially prepared antisera. The frequency of each type was calculated. Among ABO blood groups the most frequent was B with 1593 subjects [34.3%], followed by O with 1454 [31.3%], A with 1124 [24.2%], and AB with 471 [10.1%] individuals. The Rh [D] positive were 4226 subjects [91%] and Rh [D] negative were 416 [9%]. Among Rh [D] positive cases, blood group B was most frequent with 1476 [34.9%] individuals, however among Rh [D] negative individuals the most frequent blood group was O with 149 individuals [35.8%]. 'B' was most frequent among the ABO blood groups. Knowledge of prevalence of various blood groups in the area will help in managing the transfusion services