Open Access

<b<iBackground:</i</b Gerbich-negative phenotypes of the Gerbich Blood Group System (ISBT 020) are very rare (with the exception of Papua New Guinea). The Gerbich-negative phenotypes Yus and Gerbich are negative for the antigens Ge2, and Ge2 and Ge3, respectively. In antigen-negative individuals, anti-Ge2 and anti-Ge3 antibodies can be naturally occurring, or are triggered during pregnancies and after transfusions. Previous studies suggested an elevated frequency of Gerbich-negative phenotypes for the Middle East. In the summer of 2015, a large-scale migration of people from the Middle East to Europe occurred raising the issue of question how to guarantee blood supply for patients and manage antenatal care for pregnant women from these countries. <b<iMaterials and Methods:</i</b To investigate the frequency of rare Gerbich-negative phenotypes, 1,665 immigrants to Germany originating from the Middle East were genetically tested for the presence of rare Yus, i.e., <iGE</i*<i01</i.<i-02</i, and Gerbich, i.e., <iGE</i*<i01-03</i, alleles and compared to results obtained from 507 Germans. <b<iResults:</i</b Seven Yus <iGE</i*<i01.-02.01</i and one Gerbich <iGE</i*<i01.-03.02</i alleles were exclusively observed among people from the Middle East, with five of them clustering among 797 Syrians. No such alleles were observed in Germans. A cumulative Yus- and <iGE</i*<i01.-03-</itype allele frequency of 0.00314 and resultant overall Gerbich-negative phenotype frequency of one among 101,633 Syrians were calculated. <b<iConclusion:</i</b This manuscript describes for the first time an exclusively genetic screening for carriers of Gerbich-negative alleles. In conclusion, the Gerbich blood group system should be considered as one causative agent of unusual antibodies to red cell antigens, in routine patients and pregnant women, especially when originating from the Middle East.

Chronic medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2DM) or coronary artery disease (CAD) and their treatment have a crucial impact on patients’ daily life. The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire is a validated and widely used tool to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQL). We investigated and compared the HRQL in patients with or without T2DM and CAD. We included 481 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography for the evaluation of established or suspected stable CAD in a tertiary care setting in Central Europe. Patients’ HRQL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L, comprising the EQ index calculated from the domains: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. A response rate of 88.1% was achieved. From our patients, 166 (34.5%) had T2DM according to ADA criteria, and 254 (52.8%) had significant CAD with stenoses ≥50% at angiography. Patients with T2DM showed significantly lower EQ index values than patients without T2DM (0.891 [IQR=0.783-0.970]) vs. 0.943, [IQR=0.861-1.0], p=0.002)). Regarding the different dimensions of the questionnaire, patients with T2DM reported to have significantly more problems with anxiety and depression (p=0.002) and mobility (p<0.001) than nondiabetic patients. EQ index values in contrast did not differ significantly between patients with vs. those without significant CAD. Accordingly, in analysis of covariance T2DM (F=7.38, p=0.007) but not significant CAD (F=1.74, p=0.183) predicted EQ index values after adjustment for age, sex and body-mass-index. We conclude that T2DM rather than the presence of significant CAD is associated with quality of life in angiographied coronary patients. Disclosure M. Ratz: None. J. Vogel: None. P. Elsner: None. T. Plattner: None. A. Vonbank: None. A. Mader: None. B. Larcher: None. A. Leiherer: None. A. Muendlein: None. M. Frick: None. H. Drexel: None. C.H. Saely: None.