A confusion in antibody identification: anti-D production after anti-hrB.

It is well known that certain combinations of alloantibodies are frequently found together. Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are mostly ofAfrican ancestry,and they may make anti-hrB. A transfusion of hrB- blood is often achieved by using e- (R2R2) RBCs; it is generally believed that hrB- patients readily make anti-E or a"broad-spectrum" anti-Rh34 (-HrB). We describe two multiply transfused D+ patients with SCD and a history of anti-hrB who subsequently produced anti- D. This raises the question whether anti-hrB together with anti-D is a more common antibody combination than anti-hrB with anti-E or anti-Rh34.