The Ministry of Health announced on Monday discovery of a rare blood type, in the Er group, used for saving lives of some newly born infants.

Dr. Reem Al-Radhwan, the director of the department of blood transfusion that contributed to the discovery, said in remarks to KUNA on Monday that the discovery would be helpful to specify and treat some unique cases where blood types are not compatible; for example among pregnant women and fetuses.

Medicine conventionally recognizes four blood types. These are the main types, she said, as to the others, some may develop antibodies and cause recurring miscarriages.

The unique type had been specified by examining blood samples of a patient who was given blood from the rare blood base, she said, explaining that the patient’s samples had been examined from the pregnant patient since 2018. The patient had antibodies to rare blood types however she was given blood from a next of kin.

Kuwait’s national archive of blood donors lists names of more than 500,000 donors, including 370 donors of rare blood types

Source: Kuwait News Agency