#TilFriday: The Golden Blood

It's another weekend and it's time again for another #tilFriday!

Before we wrap this week up, I would like to share to you about the Golden blood.

Golden blood?

Well, it's just the rarest blood type in the world! It is so rare that only 43 people around the world were reported to have it.

I'm talking about Rhnull aka the Golden blood.

But What makes it so rare?

To answer that, let us look on the process on how to determine our blood type. All in all, there are 35 blood type groups recognized by International Society of Blood Transfusion but let's just cover the two most important groups: ABO and Rhesus D system.

_{image from pixabay}

Blood types are determined by the presence or absence of antigens - molecules capable of inducing an immune response in the host organism. Usually, antigens are attacked by our white blood cells to prevent any disease or infection. But our red blood cells naturally contain millions of antibodies that is being ignored by our immune system. These antigens present in our red blood cells determine our blood type.

The ABO Blood Group

There are four main blood groups defined by the ABO system. They are determined by the presence or absence of two antigens in the red blood cells: A and B antigens.

• Group A (Type A) - has the A antigen on the red blood cells with B antibody in the plasma

• Group B (Type B) - has the B antigen on the red blood cells with A antibody in the plasma.

• Group AB (Type AB) - has both A and B antigen on the red blood cells but no A and B antibody in the plasma.

• Group O (Type O) - has no A and B antigen on the red blood cells but with A and B antibody in the plasma.

Type O is the most common blood group and is the universal red cell donor type since it has no A or B antigens. Since Type AB has no A and B antibody in the plasma, it is the universal plasma donor.

The RH System

RhD is another antigen that might be present in our red blood cells. If this is found in our red blood cells, then we belong to RhD positive group and if not, then we are RhD negative.

It means that we could be one of the following:

• A RhD positive (A+)
• A RhD negative (A-)
• B RhD positive (B+)
• B RhD negative (B-)
• O RhD positive (O+)
• O RhD negative (O-)
• AB RhD positive (AB+)
• AB RhD negative (AB-)

The RhNull

The Rh blood group system consists of at least 61 independent antigens and in ultra rare case, all of these can be absent from our body. If that happens, we belong to a group of very few people with RhNull blood type.

**How rare can this happen? **

Approximately, it can occur to 1 in 6 million individuals and
the first documented case was in 1961 in an Australian Aborigine woman.

People possesing the golden blood in their veins can lead a normal life but might develop hemolytic anemia. They also have to live with utmost care to avoid accidents and infections. Because their blood is very rare, people with RhNull are sought after by scientist for research and by patients looking for donors.

Today, there are less than 10 active donors of the blood which can be given to anyone within the rare Rh sytem.

One of them is a guy named Thomas from Switzerland who flies to France twice a year at his own expense to donate blood. There, his valuable blood is kept frozen until it is extremely needed by someone for a life saving transfusion.

Thomas not only has a golden blood, he also has a pure heart.

_{Sources: Curiosity | Wikipedia | American Red Cross | NHS | JPMA | mosaic |}

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