Context: National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH), Mumbai under the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched India’s first national rare blood donor registry to support patients with rare blood types who require frequent transfusions, particularly those with thalassemia or sickle cell disease.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about ICMR-Rare Donor Registry of India; E-RaktKosh
ICMR-Rare Donor Registry of India
- NIIH has for the first time created a national 'rare blood donor registry' for patients with rare and uncommon blood types who need frequent transfusion especially in conditions such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
- The portal called the ICMR-Rare Donor Registry of India (RDRI) already includes over 600 donors with rare antigen combinations and 250 very rare blood donors, including 170 Bombay blood group donors.
- ICMR-NIIH is now in talks with the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) so that the rare donor registry portal can be integrated with e-Raktakosh, the Centralised Blood Bank Management System platform which provides information about blood availability.
Estimated Daily Blood Requirement in India is ~40,000 to 50,000 units per day or 15-18 million units of blood per year, but we have a shortage of 3-5 million units/year (approx. 10,000-14,000 units/day).
Need for integrating Rare Blood Donor Registry with e-Rakt Kosh
- Rare blood groups occur in less than 1 in 1000 individuals, often characterised by absence of high-frequency antigens (HFA), or have a null phenotype (absence of all antigens in a group). E.g., Bombay Blood group, Rh-null (Golden blood) etc.
- In the majority of blood banks in India, only ABO and RhD antigens are matched before issuing red blood cell components. However, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) has recognised over 360 antigens across 47 blood group systems.
- Blood banks do not routinely test for minor blood group antigens. As a result, a mismatch of minor antigens between donor and recipient blood group profiles can lead to red cell alloimmunisation (immune response against foreign RBC antigens after blood transfusion). This reduces the effectiveness of blood transfusions. As a result, about 25% of all immunised patients have reported unsatisfactory transfusion support.
To overcome this challenge, an inventory of extensively typed blood donors and rare blood type donors is required.
Significance:
- The integration will help people with rare blood groups easily trace blood banks and procure blood.
- It will also assist the blood banks manage their stock and donors through a centralised system.