Analysis of ABO and Rh blood groups distribution in East Karadeniz region of Turkey

Objective: Accurate knowledge on the distribution ofblood groups in a region is useful for individuals in needand blood bank processes as well as such knowledgewould provide scientific contribution. In this study, our objectiveis to determine ABO and Rh blood groups distributionin the Rize province.Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis hasbeen conducted on the data of 38,329 individuals appliedto Blood Center of Rize Training and Research Hospitalfor blood group determination. The data collection periodcovers five years, between January 2005 and December2010.Results: Our findings indicated that the frequencies of theblood groups were as following: Group O 44.07%, GroupA 44.07%, Group B 9.26%, Group AB 2.60%, and Rh(+)83.70% and Rh(-)16.30%. According to our knowledge,there is no prior study on distribution of blood groups inthe Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. When comparedto data throughout Turkey, it has been found out that therate of blood group O is significantly higher, and the ratesof blood groups B and AB are significantly lower.Conclusion: We believe that our results would contributeto database construction on distribution of blood groups.Key words: ABO Blood-Group System, Rize, Turkey