The Distributions of Duffy Antigens and Phenotypes Among Blood Donors in King Abdulaziz Medical City-Western Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: The Duffy (FY) is considered one of the clinically significant blood group systems. Anti-Fy^a and anti-Fy^b can cause hemolytic transfusion reactions and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. This study investigated the prevalence of FY antigens and phenotypes in Saudi Arabian and non-Saudi Arabian blood donors.

Methods: A total of 25611 blood donors were enrolled in this study from January 2020 to May 2024, at the blood bank center of King Abdulaziz Medical City-Western Region (KAMC-WR), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Serotyping was conducted to identify Fy^a and Fy^b antigens as well as the four FY phenotypes using a solid phase technique.

Results: The majority of the blood donors were Saudi Arabians (n = 21,496, 83.93%), while the remaining donors were non-Saudis (n = 4115, 16.07%). The frequencies of Fy^a and Fy^b among the Saudi Arabian donors were 28.20% and 28.41%, respectively. Conversely, the distributions of the Fy^a and Fy^b antigens among the non-Saudi Arabian donors occurred at 44.88% and 39.83%, respectively. The Fy(a-b-) phenotype was the most common FY phenotypes among the Saudi Arabian and non-Saudi Arabian and were 50.07% and 33.80%, respectively. The incidences of the FY phenotypes were statistically significantly different in Saudis compared to non-Saudis (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The prevalence of the FY antigens and phenotypes is reported among blood donors. The Fy(a-b-) phenotype was the most widespread among Saudis and non-Saudis. It is crucial to include the FY antigens in the transfusion screening panel especially for both blood donors as well as patients especially the transfusion-dependent patients.