Prevalence Of Rh And ABO Blood Groups In HIV Seropositive Pregnant Women In Enugu; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

HIV status and blood groups determination (Rhesus and ABO groups) in 3691 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at a Mission Hospital and Maternity and 1199 non-pregnant women visiting the same institution for marriage-related matters; or blood donation; or out-patient department between 1999 - 2002 were studied. Blood sample from each subject was screened for HIV using the quick test kits and tested for blood group types with anti-sera A; B; AB; and D. Overall; the prevalence of blood group O+ was higher than in the general population with highest rate of 62.9 in HIV+ pregnant women followed by 58.4 in HIV- pregnant women and 58.0 in non-pregnant women. No difference was observed in groups A+; B+; AB+; O- for the three categories of subjects studied. Blood groups B-; AB- were conspicuously absent in HIV+ pregnant women but non-significant in HIV- pregnant women and the control. A- was very few in all the categories. Rh -ve accounted for 3.16 (HIV+); 3.46(HIV-) and 2.67 (Control) while Rh +ve were 96.84(HIV+); 96.06 (HIV-) and 97.33(Control). Thus; the higher than normal prevalence of group O+ in HIV+ pregnant women is indicative of the population size for this group. The very low prevalence of Rh -ve in type A- suggests that incompatibility could be higher than in this population and protective in HIV infection contrary to the previous report in apparently healthy population. The obvious absence of Rh- in AB group suggests that AB may have a higher percentage of protection against immunization. Hence in group B; less incidence of Rh incompatibility and haemolytic disease of the young in the mothers in blood group AB will occur