The truth about the rarest bloo.d type in Vietnam, owners should be especially careful

Since 1901, world medicine has changed dramatically after Karl Landsteiner discovered the ABO bloo.d group system. In 1940, the Rh bloo.d group system was discovered by Karl Landsteiner and other scientists. Since then, the practice of bloo.d transfusion has received more attention.

Later, many other red bloo.d cell bloo.d group systems such as Rh, Kell, Kidd, Duffy, MNS, Lewis... were discovered. Each of these bloo.d group systems has one or more antigens. Of which, Rh is considered the most complex bloo.d group system with more than 50 antigens (antigen D is the most common).

As of June 2021, there are 43 red bloo.d cell bloo.d group systems and 376 different bloo.d group antigens recognized by the International Society of Bloo.d Transfusion. This Society has also proposed a convention on rare bloo.d groups. Accordingly, a bloo.d group antigen or phenotype (abbreviated as bloo.d group) with a frequency of occurrence of less than 0.1% is called a rare bloo.d group and less than 0.01% is called a very rare bloo.d group. Therefore, a bloo.d group may be rare in one country, but may not be rare in another country or region.

According to the National Institute of Hematology and Bloo.d Transfusion, 45% of our country's population has bloo.d type O, 20% has bloo.d type A, 30% has bloo.d type B and only 5% has bloo.d type AB.

Many people still think that AB will be the rarest bloo.d type in Vietnam because its rate is lower than other bloo.d types in the ABO system. But in fact, Rh(D) negative is the rarest. It is in accordance with the convention of the International Bloo.d Transfusion Society when it only accounts for nearly 0.1% of our country's population. AB group is only rare when it is AB Rh(D) negative.

Interestingly, in Vietnam, the rare bloo.d type is Rh(D) negative, but in Europe, America, and Australia, Rh(D) negative accounts for 15% - 40% of the population. However, based on the rules of giving and receiving, bloo.d type O Rh- is the most risky type. Because it will only receive bloo.d from type O Rh-. This is the bloo.d type that is often in short supply in hospitals due to high demand, and is often used in emergency cases when there is no time to determine the patient's bloo.d type. People with bloo.d type O are nicknamed "bloo.d donors" or "giving bloo.d types" because their bloo.d can be used for anyone.

Pham Anh Ngoc (25 years old, Hanoi) has donated bloo.d 16 times. Ngoc said that thanks to donating bloo.d many times, Ngoc was tested and the doctor said that her bloo.d type is rare.

Ngoc said: "When the doctor informed me that I had the rare bloo.d type B Rh(D) negative, I went home and looked up information about rare bloo.d types online. At first, I was a bit worried, but then I felt normal again. I also researched and joined the rare bloo.d type club so that when someone needed me, I would have the information to donate bloo.d."

Ngoc has received many calls from the National Institute of Hematology and Bloo.d Transfusion asking her to donate bloo.d for patients. Ngoc recalls that at first she was quite confused because she did not think her bloo.d type was so rare. Later, Ngoc gradually got used to donating bloo.d and became calmer when called.

Nguyen Hoai Son (24 years old, Hanoi) said that when he was a university student, Son participated in voluntary bloo.d donation. After donating bloo.d for the first time and being tested, Son learned that he had a rare bloo.d type AB Rh(D) negative. Since then, Son often donated bloo.d following calls from the National Institute of Hematology and Bloo.d Transfusion. From then on, Son understood the importance of bloo.d donors like himself to patients.

According to the convention of the International Society of Bloo.d Transfusion, bloo.d groups with a rate of less than 0.1% in the population are considered rare and less than 0.01% are considered very rare. In Vietnam, people with Rh(D) negative bloo.d group are rare.

Associate Professor Tran Ngoc Que - Director of the National Bloo.d Center (National Institute of Hematology and Bloo.d Transfusion) said that in 2024, the Institute has received nearly 240 units of rare bloo.d types and 2,458 units of phenotype-compatible bloo.d from treatment facilities. The amount of suitable bloo.d stored in the warehouse only meets about 56%, the remaining amount (44%) the Institute has to search for and mobilize directly from bloo.d donors. The National Institute of Hematology and Bloo.d Transfusion acknowledges the kindness of rare bloo.d type donors and phenotype-compatible bloo.d donors who have traveled far (from Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Thai Binh...) to donate bloo.d when invited by the Institute.

Associate Professor Tran Ngoc Que said that many people, despite being busy with work, busy with worries or holding important positions in agencies and units, still arrange their busy time to donate bloo.d when there is a patient in need. It is the enthusiasm and willingness to accompany people with rare bloo.d types that has helped the Institute ensure this extremely special bloo.d source.

As of October 2024, the International Society of Bloo.d Transfusion recognizes 47 red bloo.d cell group systems with 366 different bloo.d group antigens. Of these, the ABO bloo.d group system and the Rh bloo.d group system are the most important in bloo.d transfusion practice.

The International Society of Bloo.d Transfusion defines: a bloo.d group antigen or phenotype (abbreviated as bloo.d group) with a frequency of less than 0.1% is called a rare bloo.d group and less than 0.01% is called a very rare bloo.d group.

In Vietnam, one of the rare bloo.d types often mentioned is Rh(D) negative because it only accounts for less than 0.1% of the population. Meanwhile, the rate of Rh(D) negative bloo.d type in the community in Europe or many countries is not rare, because it can account for up to 15 - 40% of the population.

Việt Nam tự hào có "báu vật tâm linh" 700 tuổi, thế giới duy nhất 2 nước sở hữu Pinky15:43:21 21/11/2024Được mệnh danh là Hạ Long trên cạn , Vườn Quốc gia Bến En rộng 15.000 hecta thuộc địa bàn 2 huyện Như Xuân, Như Thanh (Thanh Hóa) được xem là vùng đất trù phú, sơn thủy hữu tình.