Rh incompatibility

About 15% of the white population has a RhD-negative blood type.[4]Mourant AE, Kopec AC, Domaniewska-Sobczak K. The distribution of the human blood groups and other biochemical polymorphisms. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press; 1976. Population data suggest that the incidence of RhD negativity is highest among Basques (36%).[4]Mourant AE, Kopec AC, Domaniewska-Sobczak K. The distribution of the human blood groups and other biochemical polymorphisms. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press; 1976. Seven percent of black people have this blood type.[4]Mourant AE, Kopec AC, Domaniewska-Sobczak K. The distribution of the human blood groups and other biochemical polymorphisms. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press; 1976. Less than 1% of the Native American and Asian populations have this phenotype.[4]Mourant AE, Kopec AC, Domaniewska-Sobczak K. The distribution of the human blood groups and other biochemical polymorphisms. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press; 1976. Rh alloimmunisation due to RhD has declined markedly as immunoprophylaxis has become routine practice in the last 4 decades.[5]Joseph KS, Kramer MS. The decline in Rh hemolytic disease: should Rh prophylaxis get all the credit? Am J Public Health. 1998 Feb;88(2):209-15. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.88.2.209 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9491009?tool=bestpractice.com [6]Van der Schoot CE, Soussan AA, Koelewijn J, et al. Non-invasive antenatal RHD typing. Transfus Clin Biol. 2006 Mar-Apr;13(1-2):53-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16564727?tool=bestpractice.com Societal factors, such as delayed childbearing and smaller families, may also have contributed to this decline.[5]Joseph KS, Kramer MS. The decline in Rh hemolytic disease: should Rh prophylaxis get all the credit? Am J Public Health. 1998 Feb;88(2):209-15. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.88.2.209 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9491009?tool=bestpractice.com