The rarest blood type is Rhnull. Unlike other blood types, people with Rhnull blood have no antigens on their red blood cells. Researchers estimate that just 1 in 6 million people have Rhnull blood.
Healthcare professionals classify blood type according to the presence or absence of antigens, which are proteins attached to red blood cells. In this article, learn more about the rarest blood type. We also cover other blood types, including whether or not they are compatible with each other.
Rhnull is the rarest of these. Having a rare blood type can make it difficult or even impossible to get a blood transfusion or organ transplant. It can also cause other health issues. For example, if their blood is incompatible with a developing fetus, pregnant women with rare blood types may experience complications. One Iranian woman with Rhnull blood had several pregnancy losses.
Most blood types fall into one of four blood type groups , according to whether they contain A or B antigens. For example, people with A antigens have type A blood, while those with B antigens have type B blood. People with both A and B antigens have type AB blood, while people with neither antigen on their red blood cells have type O blood.
In addition to the blood group type, a person may also carry Rh factor on their red blood cells. Some people, including those with Rhnull blood, lack one or more common antigens.
For example, in the s, researchers at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service discovered something interesting about the blood cells of donor Sarah Culhane—they had an antigen on them that had never been seen before. Twenty years later, Canadian Blood Services sent the Australian organisation blood from the family of a Canadian baby who had required a massive blood transfusion at birth.
They suspected it might be related to the rare SARA antigen. A very rare antigen, only two families in the world are known to have it. Hi there, we see you're using OS , why not try our app? Skip to main content. Why give blood Demand for different blood types Blood types How blood is used Who you could help.
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Our blood centres are open and you can donate safely. AB negative blood type. Your blood type is determined by genes inherited from your parents. This means that if you inherit an O from your mother and an A from your father, for example, your blood type would be A. Blood is also typed according to the Rh factor. This is another antigen found on red blood cells. Depending on whether the Rh antigen is present, each blood type is assigned a positive or negative symbol.
That means the prevalence of certain blood types varies widely in different parts of the world. However, in the United States, AB-negative is considered the rarest blood type, and O-positive is the most common.
These variations also exist within groups of Americans. According to the Red Cross , Asian Americans are much more likely to have a B-positive blood type than Latin Americans and white people, for instance.
Your immune system naturally contains protective substances called antibodies. Usually, they attack viruses and bacteria.
For example, if you have type B blood mixed with type A blood during a transfusion , your antibodies will destroy the A antigens. This can have life-threatening results , which is why medical centers worldwide have strict procedures to keep this from happening. For example, AB blood has both the A and B antigens, so a person with this type of blood can receive either type A or B blood.
When it comes to the Rh factor, people with Rh-positive blood can receive either Rh-positive or Rh-negative blood, while people with Rh-negative blood can receive only Rh-negative blood.
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