Rh blood group system

"Rh-" redirects here. For the Siddharta album, see Rh- (album). For the band, see The RH Factor. For the production company, see Regina Hall.
The name rhesus factor (Rh) goes back to the use of erythrocytes extracted from the blood of rhesus monkeys for obtaining the first blood serum.

The Rh blood group system is a human blood group system. It contains proteins on the surface of red blood cells. After the ABO blood group system, it is the most likely to be involved in transfusion reactions. The Rh blood group system consisted of 49 defined blood group antigens[1] in 2005. As of 2023, there are over 50 antigens among which the five antigens D, C, c, E, and e are the most important. There is no d antigen. Rh(D) status of an individual is normally described with a positive (+) or negative (−) suffix after the ABO type (e.g., someone who is A+ has the A antigen and Rh(D) antigen, whereas someone who is A− has the A antigen but lacks the Rh(D) antigen). The terms Rh factor, Rh positive, and Rh negative refer to the Rh(D) antigen only. Antibodies to Rh antigens can be involved in hemolytic transfusion reactions and antibodies to the Rh(D) and Rh antigens confer significant risk of hemolytic disease of the newborn.

  1. ^ Dean, Laura. Blood Groups and Red Cell Antigens [Internet].. Bethesda (MD): National Center for Biotechnology Information (US); 2005, Chapter. 7.