Indian doctors discover new rare blood group after Nigeria's progress on quick detection of sickle cell anaemia

After Nigeria's stride towards speedy detection of sickle cell anaemia, Indian doctors have come up with a new, rare blood group to tackle blood related disorders, transfusion and surgical needs of those with rare blood groups.

Blood related disorders are seeing medical breakthroughs all across the globe at present. While the Sickle Cell Support Society of Nigeria has asked the health facilities to endorse 'Point of Care' device capable of testing the presence of sickle cell gene within just 10 minutes, thereby curbing risk of sickle cell anaemia in new borns, a group of doctors from Manipal in India have discovered a very rare blood group that can save lives of many with other rare blood groups during surgery and transfusion.

This wonder indentification of the rare blood group called 'pp'or 'P null' phenotype took place at the blood bank of Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, Mangaluru.

How the new rare blood group helps?

While ABO and Rh D are the commonly typed blood group systems, there are above 200 minor blood group antigens apart from A, B and Rh. When one lacks high frequency antigen or multiple common antigens, he is said to have a rare blood group that occurs in less than 1 in 1,000 people. It becomes a challenge to procuree: the right match of blood group for people with rare blood groups at the time of surgery or blood transfusion. Discovery of rare blood groups helps doctors to overcome this challenge. Samples of the newly identified rare blood group have been sent to the International Blood group Reference Laboratory in Bristol, UK for further study.

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