Genetic diversity among volunteer donors of bone marrow in southeastern Brazil, according to the HLA system.
OBJECTIVE
Checking the histocompatibility of the molecules of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is vital for performing bone marrow transplantation with allogeneic material. The objective of this study was to characterize bone marrow donors according to gender, age, ethnicity and HLA groups at a regional hemotherapy center in Brazil.


METHODS
Descriptive study on registered donors at a regional hemotherapy center in a public university hospital in the southeastern region of Brazil.


METHODS
The records of 66,780 donors who were registered between 2005 and June 2011 were consulted, and the variables studied were tabulated.


RESULTS
There were equal numbers of male and female donors and 82.8% of them were under 45 years of age. In terms of ethnicity, 77.3% declared themselves to be white, 15.0% mixed race, 5.7% black and 2% others. In terms of immunogenetic characterization, the most frequent HLA-A allelic group was HLA-A*02, with 39.20% of the donors; in the HLA-B allelic group, the most common was HLA-B*35, with 14.18%; while in the HLA-DRB1 allelic group, the most frequent was HLA-DRB1*03, with 17.03%. Comparison between these results and data from the Brazilian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (REDOME) showed that there were demographic and immunogenetic differences due to the history of immigration in the region of Ribeirão Preto, in southeastern Brazil.


CONCLUSIONS
The results reinforce the importance of understanding the demographic and immunogenic profile of regions of Brazil, in order to reduce the waiting time for a histocompatible donor.
Biomedical Scientist in the Regional Center for Hematology, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Letícia Sarni
LS
Roque
Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
Rodolpho
R
Telarolli-Junior
Department of Social Dentistry, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
Leonor Castro Monteiro
LC
Loffredo
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001853:Bone Marrow; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult
D006680:HLA Antigens; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains