Abstract
<jats:p>Objective: This study investigated the prevalence and specificity of red blood cell (RBC) alloantibodies and assessed the factors associated with their development in multi-transfused patients at a single tertiary center. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed data from 384 multi-transfused patients who underwent pre-transfusion or immunohematology (IH) testing at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Malaysia. Patients were selected using systematic random sampling, and data were extracted from electronic hospital systems and IH test reports. Variables included demographics, clinical diagnosis, transfusion history, and transplant status. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression.Results: A total of 5,675 multi-transfused patients were identified during the study period. Of the 384 patients selected for analysis, 155 (44.5%) exhibited RBC alloantibodies. Anti-E was the most frequently identified alloantibody (39.6%), followed by anti-Mia (26.2%). Patients with chronic kidney disease and thalassemia had a significantly higher risk of alloantibody development (p-value<0.001 and p-value=0.032, respectively). Conclusion: The high rate of RBC alloimmunization in multi-transfused patients highlights the importance of extended RBC antigen matching, not only for thalassemia patients but also for those with chronic kidney disease, to reduce the risk of alloantibody formation.</jats:p>