What is most rare blood type

Rare blood types What makes a blood type rare? Which blood types are compatible? You can receive blood from a donor with the same blood type as you. You can also receive blood from a donor with a compatible blood type. Similarly, a person with a different blood type to you may be able to safely receive your blood. Who can receive my blood? How do blood types work? Your blood group is inherited from genes passed on by your parents. The two most important blood group systems for transfusion are ABO and Rh.

Which group you belong to depends on the antigens and antibodies in your blood. Antigens are a combination of sugars and proteins that coat the surface of a red blood cell. Depending on your combination, you will have: no antigens A antigens B antigens both A and B antigens You also have antibodies in the clear part of blood called plasma. Positive or negative blood The D antigen in the Rh system determines whether you have positive or negative blood.

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. Find out more about donating blood during coronavirus. This includes the Ro subtype , which is often used to treat people with sickle cell. The combination of being rare and sought after makes people with these blood types very important donors.

Although the ABO and Rh groups are the most important for blood transfusions, there are 36 other known blood groups. Each blood group has a combination of sugars and proteins called antigens that are found on the outside of red blood cells.

If you have a rare subtype, your blood could be vital for a patient who also shares that subtype. This means you are more likely to share the same blood type or subtype as someone from the same ethnic background. Growing demand for the Ro subtype is one of the reasons why we need more black donors.

As well as supplying rare blood to people in England, we can also help find rare blood for people in other countries. We manage a list of rare blood donors from 27 countries and store frozen rare blood. When a request for rare blood comes in we search these databases for a match. More information about the different blood types that provide a lifeline to all kinds of patients. Whether your blood group is type A, B, AB or O is based on the blood types of your mother and father.

Testing difficulties can cause exceptions to the above patterns. ABO blood typing is not sufficient to prove or disprove paternity or maternity. Now that you know how your blood type can help recipients, please schedule an appointment to donate today. Blood Types. Download Guide. Blood Types and Transfusion Each year 4. Every 2 seconds someone in the US needs a blood transfusion. Use the interactive graphic below to learn more about matching blood types for transfusions.