Sickle Cell Disease Insights

In a comprehensive review by Pathology et al. (2025), the prevalence of red blood cell alloimmunization in patients with sickle cell disease in the Middle East was found to be 14.0%. This condition occurs when the immune system reacts against foreign antigens on transfused red blood cells. The study analyzed data from 19 studies including 3,867 patients. The most common alloantibodies identified were anti-K, Anti-E, and Anti-D, which are proteins on the surface of red blood cells that can trigger an immune response.

Several risk factors for alloimmunization were identified, such as older age, female sex, age at first transfusion, the number of transfusion units received, and having undergone a splenectomy. The review highlighted the importance of matching blood transfusions not only for ABO and Rhesus factors but also for the K antigen to reduce the risk of alloimmunization. Additionally, the findings suggest that retrospective studies report higher prevalence rates than cross-sectional studies. The research underscores the need for further study on Rhesus variants in the Middle East to improve transfusion outcomes for patients with hemoglobinopathies.