Pattern of ABO blood group and haemoglobin electrophoresis (phenotype) among patients presenting with acute Noma in a referral center, Northwest Nigeria

Background: Noma is a necrotizing destructive disease of the orofacial structures with poorly understood etiopathogenesis. This study aimed to present the pattern of ABO blood group and hemoglobin electrophoresis (phenotype) in patients presenting with acute Noma. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study conducted over five months (November, 2023 to April, 2024) using five year record of patients who presented with acute noma. After obtaining ethical approval, case notes of patients who were managed for acute Noma were retrieved. Patients' demographic information such as age and sex was recorded. The blood group and the hemoglobin phenotype of the patients were also recorded. Data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS version 25). Results: A total of 205 subjects were recruited, of which there were 100 (48.8) males and 105 (51.2) females. The age mean ± standard deviation of the patient was 5.06 ± 3.74 in the range of 9 months-22 years. The blood group O 119 (58.3) was the highest. The majority of the subjects 179 (87.3) were found to have rhesus positive blood group antigen. Blood group O was found to have the highest positive rhesus antigen with a significant difference (χ[sup.2] = 9.620, df = 3, P = 0.022). The association between the ABO blood group and the phenotype showed that subjects with blood group O have the highest AA phenotype with no significant difference (χ[sup.2] = 8.855, df = 6, P = 0.182). Conclusion: This study revealed more frequent blood group "O" rhesus positive and "AA" hemoglobin electrophoresis (phenotype) in patients with acute Noma which is similar to the general population in the same geographical region. Keywords: Blood group, hemoglobin, Noma, phenotype