For people with very rare blood types, obtaining lifesaving blood can be extremely hard. There's a blood type, called Rh-null, which is probably the rarest in the world. By 2010 (since 1961) only 43 people with Rh-null blood had been reported worldwide.
- Rh-null blood is also known as "golden blood" because of its extreme rarity and value³⁴. It is estimated that only 1 in 6 million people have this blood type.
- Rh-null blood has no Rh antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. Rh antigens are proteins that can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body. There are more than 600 known Rh antigens, and most people have at least one of them.
- People with Rh-null blood can donate to anyone with a rare blood type within the Rh system, but they can only receive blood from other people with Rh-null blood. This makes it very hard for them to find compatible donors in case of a transfusion.
- People with Rh-null blood may also face health problems such as anemia, jaundice, or fetal loss. This is because their red blood cells are more fragile and prone to hemolysis (breaking down) than normal red blood cells.
- Rh-null blood was first discovered in 1961 in an Aboriginal Australian woman. Since then, only 43 people with this blood type have been reported worldwide. Most of them are from Europe or Africa, and some of them are related to each other.
- Rh-null blood is not only rare but also mysterious. Scientists are still not sure how it originated or why it persists in some populations. Some researchers believe that it may be a result of a genetic mutation or a vestige of an ancient bloodline. 🙏