Assessment of Unexpected (Non‐ABO) Red Blood Cell Antibodies and Their Associated Clinical Conditions Among Patients and Blood Donors Attending University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and Rwanda Blood Transfusion Division

Unexpected antibodies can cause hemolytic conditions. Therefore, screening for unexpected antibodies is essential for safe transfusion. The study was conducted at Rwanda Blood Transfusion Division and University Teaching Hospital of Kigali to assess unexpected antibodies with their associated clinical conditions. 8693 blood donors and 834 patients were screened for unexpected antibodies. Among 834 patients, 23 patients (2.75%) developed alloantibodies among which two of them had mixed alloantibodies. Five patients developed antibodies of uncertain specificities. Among 8693 blood donors, only 4 blood donors (0.046%) had clinically significant alloantibodies, whereas 6 blood donors (0.069%) had antibodies of uncertain specificities. Moreover, 3 patients (0.35%) had autoantibodies in their plasma. Different types of anemia were presented with patients who developed unexpected alloantibodies. History of transfusion and pregnancy were predictors of alloimmunization among patients (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Antibody screening and antibody identification are important for safe blood transfusion practices.