Changes in the frequency of ABO and Rh blood group phenotypes in Polish donors from Lower Silesia

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore temporal and spatial variability of the frequency of the ABO and Rhesus blood group phenotypes in Polish donors from Lower Silesia between 1946 and 1990. Data on 158,134 individuals (113,714 men and 44,420 women) were obtained from two databases containing information about blood donors from Lower Silesia. The rate and direction of changes in the frequency of the blood groups were evaluated with regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Significant differences in the frequencies were found for the analysed period. The largest differences were observed for A and O blood groups. A significant increase in the frequency of the A group and a decrease in the O group were noted. The incidence of the AB group in both sexes did not change significantly. However, an insignificant decreasing trend in the frequency of the AB group in men was observed. An opposite and significant trend for this blood type was found in women. For the B group, the increase was significant in both sexes but it was greater in men. A significant increase in the frequency of the Rh(+) factor was noted. These results suggest that there were minor differences in the frequencies of ABO and Rh blood groups between the counties. This study demonstrated microevolutionary changes, thereby contributing new information to the field. These findings can be useful for the management of blood banks and the interpretation of microevolutionary changes.