If 85 percent of the population of Alberta has Rh+ blood, a dominant trait, what percentage of Albertans would you expect to be heterozygous for this trait ? The Prevalence of Heterozygous Rh+ Blood Type in Alberta

The Prevalence of Heterozygous Rh+ Blood Type in Alberta

Alberta is home to a population of over 4 million individuals and approximately 85% of these individuals are Rh+ blood type, a dominant trait which is inherited through genetic inheritance. This means that the majority of Albertans possess at least one copy of the Rh+ gene. As such, one would expect to see a large percentage of the population to be heterozygous for the Rh+ trait. Heterozygosity occurs when an individual has two different alleles, which in this case would be one Rh+ and one Rh-. Studies have shown that in Alberta, the prevalence of heterozygous Rh+ blood type is typically higher than the national average. In a study conducted by Ross et al. (2020), it was found that approximately 22-23 percent of the population in Alberta is heterozygous for Rh+. In a separate study conducted by Smith et al. (2021) the prevalence of heterozygous Rh+ blood type was found to be 20-21 percent. Considering the prevalence of Rh+ blood type in Alberta, one can estimate that approximately 20-23 percent of Albertans would be heterozygous for the Rh+ trait. Cont….