For the second consecutive year, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) alerts on the challenges of rare blood donation. In the quest for the precious red liquid, these blood groups are the most sought after. Each of them, in fact, concerns less than 4 people in 1,000. “Anyone can be a carrier of rare bloodexplains the EFS. However, in metropolitan France, people from the African continent, the West Indies and the Indian Ocean or having African ancestry are more likely to be. »
From November 14 to 20, this public establishment, the only civil operator of blood collection and transfusion in France, multiplied its actions in the field to raise awareness among these populations of the importance of donation. “During the awareness week of 2021, rare blood donations had increased by 40% compared to the same week of the year 2020 »notes the EFS, for whom it is still a little early to take stock of this year’s campaign.
Rare bloods, says the EFS, are “blood groups whose frequency in the population is low enough to create an imbalance between the number of donors and the needs of patients”. When a patient with rare blood needs to receive a transfusion, the most compatible blood is sought, minimizing the risk of rejection. But finding such blood is a challenge.
“370 different blood groups”
A person’s blood group is determined by a set of molecules or fragments of molecules (“antigens”) present or not on the surface of their red blood cells. To transfuse without risk, the antigens of the donor’s red blood cells must be as close as possible to those of the recipient. Otherwise, the latter’s immune system will reject the transfused blood.
The best known blood groups are A, B, O and rhesus + or -. In Europe, for example, 45% of individuals are group A, 43% group O, 9% group B and 3% group AB; 85% are rhesus positive and 15% rhesus negative. However, the diversity of human blood goes far beyond these two classifications. It’s like the color of our hair. Beyond blonde, brown and red, there are hundreds of shades. For example, strawberry blonde, ash, golden, platinum…
“There are nearly 370 different blood groups, of which nearly 200 are considered rare in France”, says Jacques Chiaroni, anthropologist and director of EFS PACA-Corse. In France, some 700,000 people have a rare blood group, according to the National Reference Center for Blood Groups (CNRGS). When a person is found to carry a rare blood group, they are issued with a special card – they are encouraged to always have it with them in case of emergency hospitalization.
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