Association between alloantibody specificity and autoantibodies to red blood cells.
BACKGROUND
Alloantibodies (ALLOs) to red blood cells (RBCs) are frequently associated with autoantibodies (AABs). An association between ALLO specificity and AABs has not yet been described.


METHODS
All patients and healthy blood donors screened for RBC antibodies between 2000 and 2006 were included. The odds ratio (OR) for ALLOs in patients with AABs compared to those without AABs was correlated with the OR of general ALLO prevalence in patients with AABs (normalized OR).


RESULTS
ALLOs were found in 4,626 of 204,330 patients and healthy blood donors (2.3%). The ALLOs were associated with AABs in 413 cases (8.9%). Among the specificities, anti-S with a normalized OR of 2.9 was overrepresented. This was most evident in pregnant women who showed a normalized OR of 15.1 for anti-S and AABs. The normalized OR revealed an additional association between Rh antibodies and AABs. No association was found between ALLOs to the Kell glycoprotein, Duffy protein, Lewis, or glycophorin A (M/N) and AABs.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of associated ALLOs and AABs are directed against neighboring antigens of the Rh complex and glycophorin B.
Ahrens
Norbert
N
Labor 28 and the Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Charité-University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
Pruss
Axel
A
Mayer
Beate
B
Genth
Ramona
R
Kiesewetter
Holger
H
Salama
Abdulgabar
A
D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006021:Glycophorins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D006021:Glycophorins; D007518:Isoantibodies; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System