Introduction:

irregular antibodies are produced by alloimmunization, a response of the immune system against antigens different from the ABO system. They can occur in transfusions, causing hemolytic reactions. The present study is expected to contribute to the safety of transfusion medicine.

Objective:

to determine the prevalence of irregular antibodies in donors of a blood bank in Medellin and to explore their distribution according to demographic and hematological characteristics of the population between January 2020 and December 2023.

Methods:

cross-sectional analytical study in donors between January 2020 and December 2023. Selection bias was controlled by including all records and through logical verification of variables. Detection of irregular antibodies was performed with the ID-card Liss/coombs. Analysis was based on summary measures, frequencies with their 95 % confidence intervals, Pearson’s Chi-square and binary logistic regression.

Results:

59 298 donors were included; the predominant age group was 27 to 59 years (68,7 %), the majority were O+ (54,8 %) and more than 90 % of the collections were whole blood. The prevalence of irregular antibodies was 0,55 %. Significant differences were found in women, blood groups A-, B- and O- and in extractions by erythropheresis.

Conclusion:

in this study we found a higher prevalence than previously reported in the Medellin blood bank, highlighting the importance of screening tests, especially in those at higher risk of presenting irregular antibodies.

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