Comparison of ABO Blood Group, Rh Factor, and Genotype Frequency Among University Students in Liberia and Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

Understanding the ABO and RhD blood group systems is important for safe blood transfusions and preventing hemolytic transfusion reactions caused by incompatible blood types. This study compared the phenotypes and calculated genotypes of ABO and RhD blood group systems among students from Cuttington University (CU), Liberia, and the University of Narowal (UON), Pakistan.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1017 participants (517 from CU and 500 from UON). Capillary blood samples were collected and analyzed using standard antigen-antibody agglutination test kits. Phenotype frequencies were determined, while genotype and allele frequencies were estimated under the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

RESULTS

In Liberia, blood group O (54%) was the most prevalent, followed by B (22.4%), A (15.8%), and AB (7.4%) blood groups. Blood group B (37.2%) predominated in Pakistan, followed by O (27.6%), A (27.2%), and AB (8.0%) blood groups. RhD-positive individuals were the most reported in both populations. Similarly, the homozygous ii genotype was the most frequent, followed by IᴮIᴮ and IᴬIᴬ, whereas the heterozygous genotypes followed the order Iᴮi > Iᴬi > IᴬIᴮ. The statistical analysis of the Liberia and Pakistan populations yielded (χ² = 21.06, p < 0.001; χ² = 4.44, p = 0.217, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The observed differences in phenotype distribution, despite similar numerical genotypic patterns, highlight the underlying genetic variability within the population. These findings provide valuable insights for possible transfusion medicine, population genetics, and health planning across regions.