Distribution of ABO, Rh, and MNS blood groups from students in Walailak University, Thailand: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: The presence or absence of blood group antigens can lead to alloimmunization, causing hemolytic transfusion reactions and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. The distribution of these antigens varies among different ethnic populations, making it essential to study their prevalence in specific regions. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate ABO, Rh, and MNS blood group antigens, phenotypes, and allele frequencies among university students in Southern Thailand. Materials and methods: Blood samples were collected and typed for blood group antigens using serological tests. Antigen, phenotype, and allele frequencies were calculated based on the observed phenotypes. Results: The most common ABO blood group was O (37.29%), followed by B (35.98%), A (19.47%), and AB (7.26%). Allele frequencies for ABO system were found to be 0.6107 for ABO*O, 0.2453 for ABO*B, and 0.1427 for ABO*A. Rh blood group distribution revealed a high prevalence of the D antigen (99.01%), followed by e (96.37%), C (95.05%), c (39.27%), and E (29.37%). The allele frequencies for D and d were 0.9005 and 0.0995, respectively. The MNS system showed M and N antigen frequencies of 85.81% and 67.66%, respectively. The most common phenotype was M+N+ (53.47%), followed by M+N− (32.34%) and M−N+ (14.19%). Mia antigen was present in 10.56% of our population. Conclusions: This study provides an understanding of blood group distribution and gene frequency in our young population, which is crucial for blood management in community transfusion. Additionally, this knowledge holds significant value for population genetics studies