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Objectives: Rhesus (Rh) blood group with variable expression of D antigen is one of the complex systems in immunohematology. Weak D antigen is a phenotype where the D antigen is weakly expressed on red blood cells, and this antigen cannot be detected by routine methods. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of Rh D negativity and weak D antigen among healthy blood donors and to review the clinical significance of weak D antigen pertaining to Rh D-negative transfusions. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study was conducted in G. B Pant Hospital from January 2016 to June 2017 in which all the blood donors from Port Blair and adjacent islands of Andaman and Nicobar were grouped for Rh D antigen and those who tested negative for the D antigen were further tested for weak D antigen by incubating for 30 min and subsequent addition of anti-human globulin sera. Results: Out of 6415 donors, 6085 (94.86%) were Rh D positive and 330 (05.14%) were Rh D negative. Among the Rh D-negative donors, 05 (01.51%) were positive for weak D antigen. The frequency of Rh D negativity was 25.76% in a blood group, 25.15% in B, 07.88% in AB and 41.21% in O blood group phenotype. Conclusion: Although the frequency of weak D antigen is low (01.51%), the strong immunogenicity of Rh D antigen discernates the need for appropriate testing for weak D antigen. This is of particular concern in Rh D-negative pregnant females as it can produce alloimmunization if accidentally given weak D antigen positive blood.
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BACKGROUND: Pregnancy luteoma is a rare non neoplastic condition of the ovary. It is usually asymptomatic and found incidentally during imaging in pregnancy or during cesarean section. Pregnancy luteoma can also occur after ectopic pregnancy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30 year old female presented to G.B. Pant Hospital, Andaman and Nicobar Islands institute of Medical Sciences, Port Blair in October 2015 with abdominal pain. After initial investigations, exploratory laporotomy was done for ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Enlarged ovary was removed along with the ruptured portion of fallopian tube. Histopathological examination revealed solid aggregates of large cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm; diagnosis of pregnancy luteoma was given. CONCLUSION: It must be considered in the differential diagnosis of ovarian masses in pregnant females that early diagnosis of this entity may avoid unnecessary radical surgery.
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INTRODUCTION: Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and syphilis pose a threat to blood safety in a developing country like India. AIM: To determine the prevalence of TTIs among healthy donors in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, and to further help in determination of the population subset to be focused on for enhancing blood donor pool. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on all voluntary and replacement donors in a tertiary health care centre in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for a period of three years. Donor blood was screened for HIV, HBV, HCV, Syphilis and malarial parasite using rapid kits and ELISA. RESULTS: Out of 12,118 donors, 97.01% were males and 2.99% were females. 9409 (77.64%) were voluntary donors and 2709 (22.35%) were replacement donors. Majority of the screened donors belonged to 25 to 40 age group. Out of 12,118 donors, 265 (2.18%) were seropositive. Among them, 8 (0.066%) were HIV positive, 15 (0.124%) HCV positive, 128 (1.056%) HBsAg positive, 30 (0.247%) Syphilis positive and 84 (0.693%) were positive for malarial antigen. Yearly prevalence of seropositivity was 2.370%, 2.113% and 2.082% for three consecutive years. CONCLUSION: With high prevalence of TTIs among healthy donors, safe blood transfusion is still a challenge in developing countries. This continues to place unacceptable burden on health sector. There is a need for encouragement of voluntary blood donation, strict donor selection criteria and sensitive screening tests to minimize TTIs in Indian setting.