Distribution of ABO and Rh (D) Blood groups in India: A systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundBlood group selection can be influenced by environmental, geographical conditions and migration frequency of population. Knowledge about distribution of blood groups is important for inventory management and disease trends in relation to blood groups. Aim of this systematic review was to know the distribution of ABO & Rh (D) blood groups in India.MethodsThis systematic review was based on literature search from January 2001 to December 2018 on ABO and Rh (D) distribution in all states of India. We divided India into five regions according to geographical area. Same blood group individuals from all the states were added, and a national data was compiled. Gene frequency was estimated using Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.ResultsOut of total 112 studies from 23 states of India a total of 1 429 996 donors’ data was analysed. Overall distribution of the A, B, O and AB blood groups in India is 23·16%, 34·10%, 34·56% and 8·18%, respectively. Rh(D)‐positive and Rh(D)‐negative population are 94·13% and 5·87%, respectively. Calculated allelic frequencies are 0·5879, 0·1719 and 0·2402 for IO(r), IA(p) and IB(q), respectively. The allelic frequency is 0·7577, and 0·2423 for ID(v) and Id(u), respectively. Blood group B is common in central (36·18%) region while group O is common in southern (38·95%) region.ConclusionOur results showed that allelic frequency of blood group O was greater than B in India. This suggests that along with genetic influence, environmental factors and natural selection also play an important role in shaping blood group frequency in specific region.