A team from the Posadas National Hospital identified for the first time in the country six cases of the Gerbich negative blood group, one of the rarest in the world. The finding placesArgentina among a small group of countries with the capacity to detect this type of phenotype
.
The validation was carried out together with the International Red Cross of Japan, a global reference in immunohematology, which confirmed the results under international standards.
The validation was carried out together with the International Red Cross of Japan
Why it is important to detect the negative Gerbich group
Identifying this blood type improves transfusion safety and reduces clinical risks. In patients with rare blood groups, receiving incompatible blood can cause serious immunological reactions
.
In addition, in pregnant women, detecting these cases can prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn, a condition in which maternal antibodies attack the baby's red blood cells.
“Identifying these rare phenotypes is essential, because an incompatible transfusion can cause serious immunological reactions,” said the Minister of Health, Mario Lugones, on the social network X.
Why is it important to detect the negative Gerbich group
How the first cases were detected in the country The discovery was made by the Hemotherapy team at
Hospital Posadas, based on highly complex clinical
and serological studies.
The six confirmed cases include three pregnant patients, two sisters detected through a family study and a volunteer donor.
How were the first cases detected in the country
The molecular validation was carried out with the support of the International Red Cross of Japan, which ratified
the results.
Lugones remarked that this is the first time that this group has been detected in the country and set the objective of moving towards autonomous identification: “Now the objective is to detect these cases locally to accelerate diagnoses.”
What is the Gerbich negative blood group
The blood type is defined by the presence or absence of antigens on red blood cells. The best-known systems are ABO and Rh, but there are more than 300 different antigens that can give rise to rare groups
. What is the Gerbich negative blood group
The Gerbich group is characterized by the absence of antigens linked to the proteins glycophorin C and D. It is so rare that it can appear in less than one person in a thousand or even in one
in millions.
Those with this phenotype can develop antibodies if they receive ordinary blood, which can lead to serious reactions or in rare cases of autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
Those with this phenotype can develop antibodies if they receive common blood.
Impact on the Argentine health system The
finding makes it possible to improve the planning of safe transfusions and to optimize the monitoring of risky pregnancies. It also makes it easier to create donor records with rare blood groups.
According to a statement from the Posadas Hospital, the institution has already identified more than 50% of donors with rare phenotypes in the country, reinforcing its role in the health system.
