The Rh null blood group is the rarest in the world and affects only around fifty people worldwide.
Why are there several blood groups?
To understand why blood type can be different between individuals, it is important to explain how it is determined. The difference is based on the presence of proteins, more precisely an antigen, on the red blood cells. For example, blood type A is so called because there is the A antibody on the surface of red blood cells. Same principle for blood group B. Group O is called this as it has neither A nor B antigen. There is also group AB, which contains both antigens at the same time.
These different blood groups can also be positive or negative, determined by the presence or absence of the D antigen or rhesus factor (Rh). People who have it will have a blood type followed by a “+” and those who do not have it will have a “-”. Among all these different blood group possibilities, there is a category called rare blood group. The French Blood Establishment (EFS) indicates that in France, a blood group is said to be “rare” when fewer than 4 people out of 1000 have it in the population and there are no other compatible blood groups. to transfuse these patients. They go on to tell us that there are approximately 250 rare blood groups identified in the country.
The O+ group is the most widespread, Rh null considered the rarest
According to the site Statistathe most common blood group in the world is group O+. It is the one that is most present in America, Africa and even southern Asia. It is followed by group A+, predominating in almost all European countries. In France for example, blood group A represents 44% of the population, and group O 42%, according to Biogroup.
The rarest blood group on the planet is Rh null, nicknamed “golden blood”. It is, as its name suggests, characterized by the total absence of the D antigen, or Rh factor. According to several reports, there are only around fifty people in the world who have this blood group. It remains to be seen whether the newly discovered blood group, the MAL group, turns out to be the rarest in the near future.
Source: EFS
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