Determination of Irregular Antibodies in Donated Blood at the National Central Laboratory, Nairobi Kenya

Donated blood must at all times seek to save life, correct anemia and provide products that are adequate to save lives. There are irregular antibodies that in normal state are not found in normal serum of an individual and hence a major cause of transfusion reactions, incompatible cross-matches and immunization upon which a second encounter with corresponding antigen may result in unfavorable reactions. Their presence or absence is confirmed by antibody screening test (AST). Objectives wereto determine the prevalence and specificity of irregular antibodies in screened blood, using panel cells for identification. Cross-sectional descriptive study was used. Two hundred and sixty eight blood samples from randomly selected donors were tested out of which twelve donor units tested positive for the presence of irregular antibodies and of this, the most reactions reported in agglutination occurred at room temperature. SAS 9.1 for windows student versionwas used for data analysis. Results obtained were twelve samples (4 %) were found to have irregular antibodies. The blood group with the highest positivity was blood group AB (10 %), while blood group B had the least (3.39 %). These indicates that irregular antibodies are present in all blood groups. Four antibodies identified were Rhesus, Kell, Lewis and Lutheran. kell and Rhesus were 33 % each, Lewis and Lutheran were 17 % each. Rhesus was found high in blood type A, Kell was high in blood type AB, Lewis was high in blood type O while Lutheran was high in blood type B. Female donors had a higher positive rate (5 %) than males donors (4 %). Study thererfore concludes that a significant proportion of blood donors have irregular antibodies which upon transfusion may lead to transfusion reactions or cause incompatibility during major cross-matches. The study therefore recommends screening of irregular antibodies for all screened blood as a prerequisite to transfusion purposes.