Rh Blood Group System
The Rh (Rhesus) blood group system (including the Rh factor) is one of thirty current human blood group systems. Clinically, it is the most important blood group system after ABO. At present, the Rh blood group system consists of 50 defined blood-group antigens, among which the five antigens D, C, c, E, and e are the most important. The commonly used terms Rh factor, Rh positive and Rh negative refer to the D antigen only. Besides its role in blood transfusion, the Rh blood group system—specifically, the D antigen—is used to determine the risk of hemolytic disease of the newborn (or erythroblastosis fetalis) as prevention is key.
Read more about Rh Blood Group System: Rh Factor, History of Discoveries, Rh Nomenclature, Rh System Antigens, Hemolytic Disease of The Newborn, Population Data, Inheritance, Function, Origin of RHD Polymorphism, Weak D, Partial D, Rh Null Phenotype, Other Rh Group Antigens, Rh Antibodies
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