Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Understanding the regional blood group distribution is essential for safe transfusion practice and efficient blood bank inventory management, as local variations in the ABO and Rh blood group systems guide donor recruitment and minimise shortages and transfusion incompatibilities. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups among individuals attending a tertiary care hospital in Lalitpur, Nepal. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Department of Transfusion Medicine and Blood Bank of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All individuals attending a tertiary care hospital between 17 July 2018 and 31 July 2023 who underwent ABO and Rh blood group testing were included in this study. Individuals younger than 4 months of age and those with discrepant blood group results were excluded. OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency and distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups among different categories. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals attending a tertiary care hospital after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (reference number: 2080/81/91) of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital. The blood grouping and sociodemographic data of individuals were analysed using SPSS V.17.0, and statistical significance was established at p<0.05. RESULTS: Out of 20 966 individuals, 12 956 (61.80% (95% CI 61.14% to 62.45%)) were female, and 8010 (38.20% (95% CI 37.55% to 38.86%)) were male. The most common blood group was A+ 6629 (31.62% (95% CI 30.99% to 32.25%)), while AB- was the least common blood group 49 (0.23% (95% CI 0.17% to 0.30%)). The RhD+ cases were 20 432 (97.45% (95% CI 97.24% to 97.67%)) and the RhD- cases were 534 (2.55% (95% CI 2.33% to 2.76%)). O+ blood (OR 1.25 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.32), p<0.001) was most common in the males, whereas A+ was common in the females (OR 1.22 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.30), p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Of the two major blood group systems, the ABO and RhD systems, A+ and RhD+ blood groups were the most prevalent among individuals attending a tertiary care hospital. Understanding the regional distribution of blood groups supports effective blood bank management and transfusion services, ultimately improving patient care.