EVERYONE loves gold for its value and colour. Even the song from the animation KPop Demon Hunters, Golden, hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and several other charts recently.
Interestingly enough, gold has its intriguing connections to human biology – maybe even flowing through your veins.
But is it true that there is such a thing as ‘golden blood’?
Verdict:
TRUE
While the blood is not gold in colour like bullion, such blood type does exist and is labelled as such.
The golden blood, or Rhnull, is the rarest blood group, lacking the protein known as Rhesus (Rh) antigens in the red blood cells.
This blood type is so rare, it is reported that there are fewer than 50 individuals in the world who have it.
But let’s take a step back to understand why this golden blood is so rare.
In general, the common blood types are A, B, AB, and O, which are determined by specific antigens on red blood cells.
Type A has A antigens, type B has B antigens, type AB has both, and type O has neither. These antigens help the immune system recognise which blood is compatible during transfusions.
Additionally, the Rh factor determines whether a blood type is positive or negative. Thus, there are eight main blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, and O-.
From this, we can derive that during blood transfusion, those with type O blood are universal donors, while those with AB blood are universal recipients. Knowing these differences is crucial for safe blood transfusions.
So, the concern with the golden blood type is that donations of the Rh null blood type are incredibly scarce and difficult to obtain. A Rhnull person has to rely on the cooperation of a small network of regular Rhnull donors around the world if they need blood. This makes it the world’s most precious blood type, hence the name “golden” blood.
In 2021, Facebook page Derma Darah Terengganu Kite pointed out that one of the individuals with golden blood is a Malaysian woman. The page also noted that her blood has been sent to the National Blood Centre to be frozen for up to ten years, in case another person with golden blood needs a transfusion.
But whatever type of blood you have, if possible, donate it to the nearest blood donation centre to help others in need. It is reported that Malaysia currently needs around 2,000 bags of blood daily.
However, donors only make up approximately 2.3% of the population. Just 2.2% of Malaysians donate blood annually, well below the 3.5% to 5% seen in many developed countries.
Perhaps, by donating blood to help others, you yourself is a precious as gold.
References:
1. https://www.medicinenet.com/
2. https://www.facebook.com/
3. https://bigthink.com/health/
4. https://ourbloodinstitute.org/
5. https://www.facebook.com/
