title: [Irregular antibody testing during pregnancy in Tunisia: clinical study of 5369 women].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of alloimmunization in women followed in an obstetrical environment in Tunisia, to identify the specificities of antibodies found and to determine factors that could influence the appearance of this immunization.
  
  
  METHODS
  We proceeded to a retrospective analysis of search for irregular antibodies in women followed up in obstetrical environment over nine consecutive years (2000-2008). The panel was officially defined and produced by the Regional Centre for Blood Transfusion in Sfax (Tunisia).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall 5369 women benefited from 6575 antibody testing (average: 1.22; extremes: 1-14). The results were positive for 278 women (5.17 %), allowing to identify 216 antibodies or associations of antibodies. Among identified antibodies, those immune were found in 198 women. The rate of alloimmunization was 3.68 % (198/5369). The majority of the antibodies found was anti-Rh1, isolated or associated with another antibody, in 84.3 % of the total immunized women. The immunization of women according to the number of gestations showed a significant increasing rate ranging from 2.34 % for a first gestation to 5.27 % for four gestations or more. In addition, a significant difference was also noted between the rate of immunization in women who had received anti-Rh1 immunoglobulin and those who had not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-Rh1 immunization is the most frequent in the population of studied women. This could denote of an insufficiency in pregnancies follow-up and immunoprophylaxis protocols.
authors.affiliation: Centre régional de transfusion sanguine de Sfax, angle Magida-Boulila, Sfax, Tunisie.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rekik
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ben Amor
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Louati
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rekik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Menif
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gargouri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001787:Blood Group Incompatibility / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D007518:Isoantibodies; C033242:RH-antibodies; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; C026410:Rho(D) antigen