It’s not everyday that you hear about a rare blood type, much less one that only 43 people are confirmed to have worldwide, with 9 of them being donors. It’s called Rh-null, or “Golden Blood”, and is highly prized for blood transfusions. What makes it so special? Well, humans all have red blood cells with 342 antigens, which produce antibodies, and theirblood type is determined on the basis of the presence or absence of these antigens. Approximately 160 of 342 blood group antigens are prevalent and your blood type is considered rare if you lack antigens that 99% of the people are positive for. The 342 known antigens belong to 35 blood group systems, and Rh, or ‘Rhesus’, is the largest, with 61 antigens. What if you’re missing all of the 61 Rh antigens? This means that it can be accepted by anyone with a rare blood type within the Rh blood system. Read more for a video and additional information.
“Rh-null blood can be given to anyone with a negative Rh blood type, which is why scientists often say that it’s worth its weight in gold, but what if a person born with this unusual blood type ever needs a blood transfusion. That would be a big problem, as they could only receive Rh-null blood. This makes it very dangerous to live with. If they receive blood from someone who is ‘positive’ for one of the 61 Rh antigens they lack, their own antibodies could react with the incompatible donor blood cells, triggering a potentially lethal immune system response,” according to Oddity Central.
