title: RhD negativity among pregnant women in multiethnic Suriname.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  RhD negativity is distributed unevenly among different ethnicities. In this study we explored the frequencies of RhD negativity in pregnant women in multiethnic Suriname, along with screening results for red blood cell (RBC) antibodies in these women and their offspring. Results may help identify women at risk for hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was performed in pregnant women who delivered at three major hospitals in Suriname between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalences of RhD negativity among 8686 women was 4.3%. The percentages of RhD negativity in Maroons, Creoles, and Hindustani women were 7.2, 5.4, and 3.7%, respectively. Chinese and Javanese women had very low prevalences of 0.8 and 0.5%, respectively, and Amerindians showed no RhD negativity. Antibody screening was positive in six D- (five Maroons and one Creole) women and weakly positive in three women (two Creoles and one Maroon), making overall antibody prevalence 4.4%. In 15 (5.5%; 10 Maroons, four Creoles, one Chinese) newborns from D- mothers antibody screening was positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the multiethnic Surinamese population RhD negativity among pregnant women varied between 0.0 and 7.2% between ethnic groups. RBC antibodies were detected during pregnancy and in newborns in 4.4 and 5.5%, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research Center Suriname, Academic Hospital Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname.|Department of Pediatrics, Academic Hospital Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname.
authors.forename: Rens
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zonneveld
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jedda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eppink
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research Center Suriname, Academic Hospital Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname.
authors.forename: M Sigrid
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mac Donald
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research Center Suriname, Academic Hospital Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname.|Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Paramaribo, Suriname.
authors.forename: Lenny M W
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nahar-van Venrooij
authors.affiliation: Anton De Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname.|Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Humphrey H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kanhai
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research Center Suriname, Academic Hospital Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname.|Anton De Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname.|Department of Pediatrics, Diakonessen Hospital, Paramaribo, Suriname.
authors.forename: Wilco C W R
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Zijlmans
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000097:blood*; D013532:Suriname / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D007518:Isoantibodies; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; C026410:Rho(D) antigen