The presence of
Rh antigen adds to further variability classifying each of the four blood groups as Rh - positive or Rh - negative by the presence or absence of
Rh antigen, respectively.
(Rh-negative is a type of blood group that does not contain the
Rh antigen in red blood cells.) Staff also failed to remove expired medications from an emergency kit.
The regulation of ABO blood group system is under the control of ABO gene expression.7 Genes for ABO antigens and
Rh antigen are located on chromosome no.
Despite receiving Rh phenotype-matched RBCs, many patients with SCD still produce Rh antibodies, which are often considered autoantibodies because the patient's own RBC type is serologically positive to the corresponding
Rh antigen. RH genotyping has revealed that many patients with SCD carry alleles encoding partial D, C, and/or e antigens and that most of these "autoantibodies" are, in fact, alloantibodies against D, C and e antigens.
The
Rh antigen is especially important in pregnancy.
A total of 1,200 healthy individuals were also investigated for the distribution of ABO blood group and
Rh antigen, which formed the control group.
Rh antigen Caucasian Black Asian D 85% 92% 99% C 68% 27% 93% E 29% 22% 39% c 80% 96% 47% e 98% 98% 96% The terms "Rh-positive" and "Rh-negative" refer only to the presence or absence of the D antigen on the RBC.
If an Rh- negative women conceives a child with an Rh positive man, there is a chance that the babies red blood cells will have the
Rh antigen and therefore be Rh positive.
Rh antigen may be of different quality and quantity in various ethnic population.
"Usually in medicine, we immunize people to boost their antibody levels, but in women who are Rh negative we try to coat the
Rh antigen with antibody to make it invisible to the mother's immune system.
Mollison et al observed that the D antigen was 20 times more immunogenic than C, the next most potent
Rh antigen. [9] When D negative individuals were transfused with one or more units of D positive red cells, 80% - 90% developed anti-D within two months.