Golden Blood: The Rarest Blood Type

Most of us have heard the phrase “Were you born with a silver spoon?”

But did you know that a few people in the world are actually born with what's called golden blood?

Let’s explore what this rare and fascinating term really means !

A person's blood is classified as positive or negative blood group type based on the presence or absence of the Rh-D(Rhesus) factor. But what if there are rare individuals who have no Rh antigens at all-in short, they are Rh-null?Such a case was first observed in 1960s in an aboriginal Australian women and this type of blood group is called as the "Golden Blood", a rare variety with even lesser than 50 known cases so far.

So, how does it differ from Rh-ve??

As we know, Rh -ve lack only D antigen while the null individuals lack about 61 Rh antigens, making them the rarest type.

Let's take a look at some pros and cons of the Golden Blood;

Pros:

1. Acts as an universal donor and can be easily transfused due to the lack of antigens.

2. It is a valuable asset for immunoglobulin research, such as RhD immunization and development of new therapies.

3. It is critical for emergency and rare phenotypic conditions.

Cons:

1. Its rarity can make it scarce, even among the other rare blood types.

2. It can lead to autoimmunity against Rh antigens, resulting in life threatening reactions upon exposure.

3. Rh incompatibility during pregnancy can lead to serious complications like erythroblastosis fetalis (hemolytic disease) , chronic fetal anemia and even miscarriage.

Some other types of rare blood types include:

1. hh blood type: Also known as the Bombay blood group, it was first discover in 1952 in Bombay. Individuals lack H antigen, which is an essential building block for A and B antigens.

2. AB-ve: Found in up to 1% of the global population, although it can donate to AB positive individuals but can't receive blood from them.

In a nutshell, Golden blood, along with hh blood type and AB-ve, forms a trio of rare blood types found globally. Although some pros exist like easy transfusion and appropriate case study material, the cons outweigh them including risk during pregnancy, autoimmunity and scarcity of the particular blood type.

References:

1. Grey's Anatomy (A Medical show, 2005)

2. MedicineNet (August, 2024).What Is the Golden Blood Type? https://www.medicinenet.com/

3. Redcliffe labs (January, 2025). Sheena Mehta, Golden Blood: Its type, Benefits, and More. https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/blood/golden-blood-its-type-benefits-and-more/