Gorakhpur(UP), Mar 14 (PTI) Doctors at the AIIMS Gorakhpur have identified an extremely rare subgroup of the ‘A’ blood group in a pregnant woman, who was referred to the institute after discrepancies were found in her tests, officials said on Saturday.
The finding was made by the institute’s Department of Transfusion Medicine during a detailed evaluation of the woman, who is in her 8th month of pregnancy.
Saurabh Murti, faculty in charge of the department, said ‘A’ subgroups show relatively weaker expression of A antigens on the surface of red blood cells compared to the common A blood group.
“Because of this, routine blood grouping tests may sometimes show discrepancies, making advanced serological testing necessary to determine the correct blood type,” he said.
The A3 subgroup is extremely rare, with studies suggesting a frequency of around one in 33,000 individuals in some regional Indian populations, Murti added.
In the present case, doctors detected anti-A1 antibodies reacting at 4 degrees Celsius, which has implications for transfusion safety. Due to this antibody, transfusion of A-group packed red blood cells is not recommended, and group O PRBCs are advised instead.
The institute had recently identified the rare “Bombay” blood group in another patient.
Executive Director and CEO of AIIMS Gorakhpur, Vibha Dutta, congratulating the team of doctors, said the institute remains committed to providing advanced diagnostic and transfusion services to patients across Purvanchal. PTI COR CDN OZ OZ
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