Rh blood-group system and the importance of its research in the population of Vojvodina

Abstract

We examined the Rh blood group system in blood donors. Rh factor is tested on a sample of 300,000 donors, while the testing of Rh phenotype was performed on 4000 blood donors. Testing was performed by standard methods, and then the data were statistically processed. After the examination of blood group ABO system it is important to examine the Rh blood group system because of the possibility of sensitization and the most common risk for the fetus during pregnancy. In addition, this system is important for many anthropological studies, forensic expertise and others. The results show a high percentage of Rh-positive blood donors (over 83%), while the percentage of Rh-negative donors was lower (about 16%). 10 different Rh phenotypes are present in the population of the Vojvodina region (the percentage varies) and the results will be presented. The obtained results will be compared with the results valid for the white race and compared with the results valid for the population of Serbia. This paper presents a 25-year study of Rh factors and phenotype. The tests show that the population of Vojvodina has a uniqueness and specificity. The importance of this study is that it gives us a better understanding of the genetic variability of the population of Vojvodina.