“Every 4.5 minutes a baby is born with a condition that affects the structure or function of their body. Collectively, these conditions are referred to as birth defects. They can vary widely in how and where they affect the body and include things from cleft lip to heart problems. While medical advancements have greatly improved health and survival, many of these conditions are lifelong and require lifelong care.

Achieving the best possible health will look different for different people. No two people living with these conditions are exactly alike. Everyone’s journey is unique, shaped by their specific condition, individual strengths, and the support system in place. However, a community of support can help people with these conditions no matter what health experiences they are navigating.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC

(Birth Defects Awareness Month | Birth Defects | CDC)

Your heart has 4 chambers=

2 uppers=atriums & 2 lowers=ventricles.

Congenital heart defects:

1.  Types of Hole Defects in the heart:

This a problem with your heart that you’re born with.

-They’re the most common kind of birth defect.

There are at least 18 different types of congenital heart defects. Most affect the walls, valves, or blood vessels of your heart. Some are serious and may need several surgeries and treatments.

This means you’re born with a hole in the wall, or septum of the heart that separates the left and right sides of your heart. The hole lets blood from the two sides mix.  This allows more oxygenated (L side of the heart) and more carbon dioxide blood (Rt side of the heart) mix together causing many problems.

An ASD is a hole in the wall between the upper chambers or the right and left atrium, of your heart.

Some ASDs close on their own. Your doctor may need to repair a medium or large ASD with open-heart surgery or another procedure.

The cardiology surgeon might seal the hole with a minimally invasive catheter procedure. The MD inserts a small tube, or catheter, in your blood vessel all the way to your heart. Then he can cover the hole with a variety of devices.

A VSD is a hole in the part of your septum that separates your heart’s lower chambers that we call ventricles. If you have a VSD, blood gets pumped back to your lungs instead of to your body.

A small VSD may also close on its own. But if yours is larger, you may need surgery to repair it.  Similar to ASD surgery, just a different spot on the chambers.

This is the most serious septal defect. It’s when you have a hole in your heart that affects all four chambers.

Complete atrioventricular canal (CAVC) defect is a severe congenital heart disease in which there is a large hole in the tissue (the septum) that separates the left and right sides of the heart. The hole is in the center of the heart, where the upper chambers and lower chambers meet.

As the heart formed abnormally, the valves that separate the upper and lower chambers also developed abnormally. In a normal heart, two valves separate the upper and lower chambers of the heart: the tricuspid valve separates the right chambers and the mitral valve the left chambers. In a child with a complete atrioventricular canal defect, there is one large valve, and it may not close correctly.

As a result of the abnormal passageway between the two sides of the heart, blood from both sides mix, and too much blood circulates back to the lungs before it travels through the body. This means the heart works harder than it should have to, often becoming enlarged and damaged if the problems aren’t repaired.

A CAVC prevents oxygen-rich blood from going to the right places in your body. Your doctor can repair it with patches. But some people need more than one surgery to treat it.

Valves control the flow of blood through your heart’s ventricles and arteries. And some minor heart defects can involve the valves.  Your heart has four valves  aortic, pulmonic, tricuspid, and mitral valve.  All four of them can develop different kinds of heart valve disease, this would include stenosis, regurgitation, and atresia.

a Stenosis.

When your cardiac valves become involved with stenosis where they narrow or stiffen, and won’t open or allow properly from a little amount to completely closed.  Ranging the blood to pass easily to not at all depending on the extent of the stenosis to the valve.  This makes treatment range from none and just medication if needed at all to surgery later in life or immediately born, again depending on the extent of cardiac valvular stenosis.

Aortic Valve Stenosis:

Aortic valve stenosis is most common in the world and in elderly, becoming more and more common after age 65. Several diseases can also cause it to develop in people when they reach middle age. The bicuspid aortic valve is the most common cause of aortic stenosis in patients less than the age of 70 years in developed countries. Rheumatic valve disease is the most common cause in developing countries.  Although some people have aortic stenosis because of a congenital heart defect called a bicuspid aortic valve, this condition more commonly develops during aging as calcium or scarring damages the valve, that is a common cause for this condition in elderly pts since it takes time to develop calcium build up in causing the stenosis.  This in turn restricts the amount of blood flowing getting through the aorta to deliver that oxygenated blood to the body.  The calcium build up takes time to put an affect on the aorta with symptoms as well; so this is why this is commonly seen in elders.

Aortic stenosis is one of the most common and serious valve disease problems. Know the aorta is the main artery bringing blood from the heart to the body’s tissues/organs. Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening, and can sometimes be referred to as a failing heart valve. Aortic stenosis restricts the blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta and may also affect the pressure in the left atrium due to the blood flow regurgitating backwards from the stenosis to the L Ventricle up to the L atrium.

The condition may range from mild to severe; the longer you have it the more severe the symptoms and intensity it would have on the heart, especially left untreated.

Over time, aortic valve stenosis causes your heart’s left ventricle to pump harder to push blood through the narrowed aortic valve. The extra effort may cause the left ventricle to thicken, enlarge and weaken. If not addressed, this form of heart valve disease may lead to heart failure known as CHF.  This heart failure would start on the Left Side of the Heart first=L CHF and if left untreated it would in time effect the Right Side of the Heart=R CHF as well.  The symptoms of L CHF versus R CHF would be different at first and in another topic later this year (over extends this topic for today).

Pulmonary Valve Stenosis:

Pulmonary valve stenosis is a heart valve disorder that involves the pulmonary valve. This is the valve separating the right lower chamber or the right ventricle (one of the chambers in the heart) and the pulmonary artery.  Pulmonary artery is one of the few arteries with high carbon dioxide and low oxygen level in the blood stream. This blood flow normally is being sent to the lungs for more oxygen where it will send the blood flow to the left side of the heart to go through the aorta and sent throughout the body to give high oxygen to all organs.  This is how we survive; with out oxygen we would be going through cellular starvation and die.   The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood to the lungs  as its ending function. Stenosis, or narrowing in the pulmonary valve occurs when the valve cannot open wide enough to its normal capacity or in some cases completely stenosis, not able to open or close at all.

Treatment surgery at some time in the person’s lifetime.  It would all depend on the severity of the stenosis condition.

Mitral Valve Stenosis:

Mitral valve stenosis — sometimes called mitral stenosis — is a narrowing of the valve between the two left heart chambers. The narrowed valve reduces or blocks blood flow into the heart’s main pumping chamber. The heart’s main pumping chamber is the lower left heart chamber, also called the left ventricle.

There are two types of mitral valve regurgitation:

• Degenerative mitral regurgitation: This occurs when the mitral valve itself is dysfunctional. The flaps may droop or bulge and do not close tightly.
• Functional mitral regurgitation: Functional mitral regurgitation happens when an issue outside of the valve (such as diseases of the left ventricle) causes the leakage. You may have normal valve flaps and still be diagnosed with functional mitral regurgitation.

Mitral valve stenosis can make you tired and short of breath. Other symptoms may include irregular heartbeats, dizziness, chest pain or coughing up blood. Some people don’t notice symptoms.

Mitral valve stenosis can be caused by a complication by a sore throat with strep throat called rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is now rare in the United States.

Treatment for mitral valve stenosis may include medication or mitral valve repair or replacement surgery.  Some people only need regular health checkups. Treatment depends on the severity of the condition and whether it’s getting worse. Untreated, mitral valve stenosis can lead to serious heart complications.

Tricuspid Valve Stenosis:

Tricuspid stenosis (TS) is narrowing of the tricuspid orifice that obstructs blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle. Almost all cases result from rheumatic fever. Symptoms include a fluttering discomfort in the neck, fatigue, cold skin, and right upper quadrant abdominal discomfort. Jugular pulsations are prominent, and a presystolic murmur is often heard at the left sternal edge in the fourth intercostal space and is increased during inspiration. Diagnosis is by echocardiography. TS is usually benign, requiring no specific treatment, but symptomatic patients may benefit from surgery.

b Regurgitation.

A damaged or diseased valve can severely compromise the ability of the heart in inefficiently which in turn does not let  oxygen or carbon dioxide to be used or removed from the body in the way its suppose to be and in time effects the heart and can lead to heart failure if left untreated. Instead of the valve having stenosis it is now not closing completely when it should allowing regurgitation to occur.

Your valves don’t close tightly, the valve affected will allow regurgitation due to the valve not working efficiently with opening and closing the way it should during your heart beat (lub dub-the sound you hear of the heart when auscultating through the stethoscope, the RN or doctor uses.) Instead this lets your blood flow or leak backward r/t the valve partially open or to completely opened when the valve should be closely closed at that time and results into regurgitation.  Remember the cardiac valves open and close as their function to allow blood flowing with a heart pumping to deliver oxygen to the blood from red blood cells that carry O2 and remove carbon dioxide blood through red blood cells carrying it out of the blood stream back to the lungs to get more O2 for the RBCs to carrying it to organs / tissues that need it to survive.  Depending on the extent of valvular regurgitation will decide on treatment which ranges from surgery later in life or immediately when born.

It does the opposite of valve stenosis in that stenosis is a narrowing of the vessel whereas regurgitation is due to a valve remaining open partially or completely when the valve is suppose to be closing to allow blood fill up in the chamber of the heart and common one is mitral valve regurgitation but there are others like tricuspid, pulmonary and ventricular valve regurgitation.

Mitrial Valve Regurgitation:

Mitral valve regurgitation is the most common type of heart valve disease. In this condition, the valve between the left heart chambers doesn’t close fully. Blood leaks backward across the valve. If the leakage is severe, not enough blood moves through the heart or to the rest of the body. Mitral valve regurgitation can make you feel very tired or short of breath.

Other names for mitral valve regurgitation are:

• Mitral regurgitation (MR).
• Mitral insufficiency.
• Mitral incompetence.

Treatment of mitral valve regurgitation may include regular health checkups, medicines or surgery. You may not need treatment if the condition is mild.

Severe mitral valve regurgitation often requires a catheter procedure or heart surgery to repair or replace the mitral valve. Without proper treatment, severe mitral valve regurgitation can cause heart rhythm problems or heart failure.

Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation:

Tricuspid valve disease is a type of heart valve disease (valvular heart disease). The valve between the two right heart chambers (right atrium and right ventricle) doesn’t work properly. As a result, the heart must work harder to send blood to the lungs and the rest of the body.

Tricuspid valve disease often occurs with other heart valve problems.

Symptoms and treatments of tricuspid valve disease vary, depending on the specific valve condition. Treatment may include monitoring, medication, or valve repair or valve replacement.

The most common cause of tricuspid regurgitation is enlargement of the right ventricle. Pressure from heart conditions, such as heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and cardiomyopathy, cause the ventricle to expand. The result is a misshapen tricuspid valve that is leaky and cannot close properly.

Aortic Valve Regurgitation:

Aortic valve regurgitation — also called aortic regurgitation — is a type of heart valve disease. The valve between the lower left heart chamber and the body’s main artery doesn’t close tightly. As a result, some of the blood pumped out of the heart’s main pumping chamber, called the left ventricle, leaks backward.

The leakage may prevent the heart from doing a good enough job of pumping blood to the rest of the body. You may feel tired and short of breath.

Aortic valve regurgitation can develop suddenly or over many years. Once the condition becomes severe, surgery often is needed to repair or replace the valve.

Pulmonary Valve Regurgitation:

Pulmonary valve disease affects the valve between the heart’s lower right chamber and the artery that delivers blood to the lungs. That artery is called the pulmonary artery. The valve is called the pulmonary valve.

A diseased pulmonary valve doesn’t work properly. Pulmonary valve disease changes how blood flows from the heart to the lungs.

The pulmonary valve usually acts like a one-way door from the lower right heart chamber to the lungs. Blood flows from the chamber through the pulmonary valve. It then goes to the pulmonary artery and into the lungs. Blood picks up oxygen in the lungs to take to the body.

Many types of pulmonary valve disease are due to heart conditions present at birth. Treatment depends on the type and severity of pulmonary valve disease.

c Atresia.

Tricuspid Atresia:

This happens when your valve isn’t formed right or has no opening to let your blood pass through. It causes more complicated heart problems. Tricuspid atresia (pronounced try-CUSP-id uh-TREE-zhuh) is a birth defect of the heart where the valve that controls blood flow from the right upper chamber of the heart to the right lower chamber of the heart doesn’t form at all.  In babies with this defect, blood can’t flow correctly through the heart and to the rest of the body.

Aortic Atresia:

Aortic valvular atresia is a congenital condition in which the aortic valvular cusps are fused at birth. It frequently forms as a spectrum of malformations of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). The atresia can be characterized as sub-valvular, valvular, or supra-valvular, depending on the site of the anomaly. Most commonly, the defect presents as aortic stenosis, though in rare cases, it can manifest as complete atresia.

Pulmonary Atresia

Pulmonary atresia is a birth defect of the pulmonary valve, which is the valve that controls blood flow from the right ventricle (lower right chamber of the heart) to the main pulmonary artery (the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs). Pulmonary atresia is when this valve didn’t form at all, and no blood can go from the right ventricle of the heart out to the lungs. Because a baby with pulmonary atresia may need surgery or other procedures soon after birth, this birth defect is considered a critical congenital heart defect (critical CHD). Congenital means present at birth.

In a baby without a congenital heart defect, the right side of the heart pumps oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. The blood that comes back from the lungs is oxygen-rich and can then be pumped to the rest of the body. In babies with pulmonary atresia, the pulmonary valve that usually controls the blood flowing through the pulmonary artery is not formed, so blood is unable to get directly from the right ventricle to the lungs.

In pulmonary atresia, since blood cannot directly flow from the right ventricle of the heart out to the pulmonary artery, blood must use other routes to bypass the unformed pulmonary valve. The foramen ovale, a natural opening between the right and left upper chambers of the heart during pregnancy that usually closes after the baby is born, often remains open to allow blood flow to the lungs. Additionally, doctors may give medicine to the baby to keep the baby’s patent ductus arteriosus open after the baby’s birth. The patent ductus arteriosus is the blood vessel that allows blood to move around the baby’s lungs before the baby is born and it also usually closes after birth.

d Ebstein’s anomaly.

This is a defect in another heart valve, the tricuspid valve-between the top and bottom of the right side of the heart, which may keep it from closing tightly. Ebstein anomaly is a rare heart problem present at birth. This means it’s a congenital heart defect. The tricuspid valve is incorrectly formed and located lower than usual in the heart. The condition may occur with a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart, called an atrial septal defect.Babies who have Ebstein’s also often have an atrial septal defect (ASD).

In people with Ebstein anomaly, the heart can grow larger. The condition can lead to heart failure.

Treatment of Ebstein anomaly depends on the symptoms. Some people without symptoms only need regular health checkups. Others may need medicines and surgery.

Keep in mind a baby can be born with more than one cardiac defect depending on the pt’s heart formation during pregnancy or at birth or in some cases symptoms arise later in life and that could be the time the patient is diagnosed with the heart condition they have.  Symptoms help tell the doctor there is a problem so diagnosing gets involved until the etiology is found.  If it is your heart your MD will find the defect no problem.

Part II tomorrow on other defects!

“Congenital heart disease is a heart problem that a person is born with. It means that the heart’s structure — for example, its walls or valves — did not develop properly before birth. More than a million American adults live with congenital heart disease. Many were diagnosed as infants and had surgery or other treatment as a child. Others don’t know they have congenital heart disease until they develop symptoms as adults, like shortness of breath or an abnormal heartbeat.

No matter the cause or the age of diagnosis, people with congenital heart disease need continued care and treatment throughout their lives. It can be difficult for adults to find heart specialists familiar with their particular anatomy and problems–NewYork-Presbyterian has one of the few programs in the country with the depth and breadth of expertise to address the complexity of congenital heart disease in adults.

Our highly trained heart specialists understand congenital heart disease’s unique physiological, anatomical, and clinical features at all ages. Your care team includes physicians, surgeons, and genetic experts specializing in adult congenital heart disease. They’re experts in echocardiography, interventional cardiac catheterization, interventional electrophysiology, complex congenital heart surgery, and heart transplantation.

With this team approach, we address the complex needs of people with adult congenital heart disease at three centers where you can receive treatment in a hospital setting designed for adults without having to stay in a children’s hospital:

• Schneeweiss Adult Congenital Heart Center at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center is one of the nation’s oldest, largest, and most experienced adult congenital heart disease programs.
• Cornell Center for Adult Congenital Heart Disease at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
• Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute, NYP/Weill Cornell”

New York Presbyterian Hospital

(Congenital Heart Disease | NewYork-Presbyterian)

Though not all birth defects can be avoided, prenatal care and awareness of past or current conditions can help with prevention.

• Prenatal care. Taking a daily prenatal vitamin that includes at least 400 micrograms of folic acid can help prevent a variety of birth defects. You should be taking prenatal vitamins if you’re of reproductive age, when you’re actively trying to conceive and/or as soon as you find out you are pregnant. In addition to taking your prenatal vitamin, avoiding alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs can significantly help prevent birth defects and pregnancy complications.
• Awareness of past or current conditions. If you previously had a pregnancy with a birth defect, it’s important to find out the most likely causes because it can help your physician plan preventive measures for your next pregnancy. For example, spina bifida is caused by a deficiency in folate, so if your previous pregnancy had spina bifida, you can take a high dose of folate to help prevent future spina bifida diagnoses.

Are all birth defects discovered before a baby is born?

It’s not always possible to detect all birth defects in utero. However, high-resolution ultrasounds done by certified prenatal ultrasound groups make it possible to diagnose defects that will cause a significant impact before birth.

Baschat says: “At the Center for Fetal Therapy, we recommend that pregnant women have the first-trimester nuchal translucency scan between 11 and 14 weeks and the anatomy scan between 18 and 20 weeks. These two ultrasounds provide us with the best opportunity for detecting birth defects.”

In recent years, some pregnant women have turned down the first-trimester ultrasound because a maternal screening blood test now exists for Down syndrome. The ultrasound is still strongly recommended, though, because there are many other serious birth defects that can be detected this early in pregnancy.

Is it possible to treat birth defects while a baby is in utero?

Absolutely. While there are many different types of birth defects, it’s extremely important to try to correct those that damage vital organs before the baby is born. The Center for Fetal Therapy specializes in treating several of these defects in utero, including:

• Congenital diaphragmatic hernia. This condition, in which a hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal content to enter the chest and restrict lung development, can be significantly helped in utero through fetoscopic endotracheal occlusion, a surgery that improves lung function and significantly increases survival rates.
• Lower urinary tract obstruction. This occurs when the flow of urine is blocked from exiting the fetus’ body, leading to permanent kidney damage. Relieving this obstruction before birth protects the kidneys.

Fetal treatments also exist for conditions that make the baby unhealthy, even if they are not considered to be birth defects. For example, if a fetus has an irregular heartbeat, you can give the mother medication that will cross the placenta and treat the fetus.

How successful are in utero treatments for fetal conditions?

By treating fetal conditions in utero rather than waiting until after birth, fetuses are given significantly better chances of survival and a reduced need for major surgery after birth. For example, with a condition like twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, in which identical twins develop a blood volume imbalance, both babies could die without any intervention. By performing laser surgery in utero, there is approximately a 95 percent chance that at least one baby will survive.

Explains Baschat, “Success rates vary depending on the condition, available treatments and the individual patient, but overall, where fetal interventions are available, we see a much higher rate of survival for affected fetuses.”

If a baby has fetal surgery, will he/she need different care after birth?

This will depend on the individual condition and type of surgery performed. For all fetal surgeries, your baby needs to be delivered at a hospital where pediatric subspecialties are in-house so the baby’s care can be managed after birth. Baschat says: “Many of the treatments we perform require patients to deliver at the highest-level multispecialty hospital, like The Johns Hopkins Hospital. This way, all prenatal and postnatal care is available to you in one location.”

If you have one child affected by a birth defect, will all of your future children have that same condition?

All future children will not definitively be affected by the same birth defect, but it will depend on what the cause was. If the birth defect was caused by a genetic mutation, there may be a higher likelihood of recurrence, but if you seek care from a specialized center, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and genetic counselors can work with you to assess future risk.

The risk of some conditions can be determined before you become pregnant through genetic testing. If that doesn’t exist for the condition in question, maternal-fetal medicine specialists and genetic counselors can genetically test your fetus during pregnancy to see if she or he exhibits the mutation that affected your previous child.

Are there communities in which you can speak with other families who have had children affected by birth defects?

There are many forums online, whether on the web or social media platforms, in which parents come together. “At our center, we reach out to previous patients to see if they are interested in communicating with new patients affected by the same condition,” Baschat explains. “They can empathize about the specific birth defect, but they can also provide guidance and advice about the experience of working with our center throughout the pregnancy and after the baby is born.”

In the future, what advances will take place in treating disease before birth?

Through prenatal diagnosis and understanding fetal disease better, physicians are learning more about what harms the fetus and what may be of benefit before birth. Additionally, new uses for minimally invasive surgical equipment are regularly being discovered.

There are also stem cell therapies, genomic medicine and a whole host of related treatments that are currently used for children and adults. One day, these may also apply to the fetus. “While it’s hard to predict the future, we’re currently doing things we couldn’t have foreseen 10 years ago, so we’re very hopeful for continued advancements in fetal care,” says Baschat.

“Vitiligo is a skin condition that has impacted millions of people worldwide. It affects people of all ages and genders. Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition that causes loss of natural pigment of the skin and results in the appearance of light-colored or white spots on arms, legs, and other parts of the body. Although it is not a life-threatening condition, vitiligo can significantly impact a person’s self-esteem, clothing choices, and quality of life.”

PERFECTFAQS (PerfectFaqs.com | Perfectly Curated, Fact-checked Blogs For You)

Vitiligo (vit-uh-lie-go) causes the skin to lose its natural color. Patches of lighter skin appear. Some people develop a few patches. Others lose much more skin color.

Vitiligo can also affect other parts of your body. A section of hair can turn white. Some people lose color inside their mouths. Even an eye can lose some of its color.

What causes this color loss is still a mystery. We do know that vitiligo is not contagious. It is not life-threatening.

But vitiligo can be life-altering. Some people develop low self-esteem. They may no longer want to hang out with friends. They can develop serious depression. Most people have vitiligo for life, so it’s important to develop coping strategies.

A coping strategy that helps many people is to learn about vitiligo. Another helpful strategy is to connect with others who have vitiligo.

Up to 2% of the population and an estimated 2 to 5 million Americans have the condition. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman.

In most cases, it develops early in life, between ages 10 and 30. It will almost always show up before age 40.

“National Blood Donor Month is a time to recognize the selfless contributions of the roughly 7 million people across the country who give blood each year. Their simple yet profound decision has saved countless lives. We encourage all eligible individuals to join the ranks of America’s blood donors and make a lifesaving impact in someone’s time of need,” said Kate Fry, CEO of America’s Blood Centers.

This National Blood Donor Month, the blood community says thank you to the millions of blood donors throughout the United States. Your gift provides essential medicine for patients in need,” said Debra BenAvram, chief executive officer of AABB. “Blood is an essential part of health care and is needed every day. We encourage eligible Americans to start the new year off by making an appointment to donate blood today.”

“We are grateful to those who generously roll up a sleeve for patients in need,” said Chris Hrouda, president of American Red Cross Biomedical Services. “Even as we see the donor base decline, the American Red Cross recognizes and celebrates our dedicated blood and platelet donors who are giving more often today than past decades. This National Blood Donor Month, please join us in our mission that truly helps save lives.”

President Richard Nixon proclaimed January 1970 as the first National Blood Donor Month on December 31, 1969, as requested by Senate Joint Resolution 154, to pay tribute to voluntary blood donors and encourage new donors to join. This month continues to be celebrated each year to thank America’s blood donors and encourage more people to donate blood.

Blood transfusion remains one of the most common hospital procedures, with patients requiring a blood transfusion every two seconds. More than 42,000 units of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma are used by patients every day.”

American Red Cross (Blood Community Unites to Recognize Donors Ahead of National Blood Donor Month in January)

January is National Blood Donor Month, a time to celebrate generous volunteer donors and raise awareness for the need for blood donations.  The purpose is to raise awareness about the vital importance of blood donation. Every drop counts and every donor is a hero.

It began in 1970 when President Richard Nixon made an historic proclamation. During this special month, we encourage all those impacted by the lifesaving power of blood donation to come together to honor and celebrate the incredible generosity of America’s voluntary blood donors.

According to the American Red Cross, winter is “one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs.” That’s because of, among other things, busy holiday schedules and bad weather often resulting in canceled blood drives. Furthermore, seasonal illnesses such as the flu force potential donors to forgo their blood donations.

That’s just one of the reasons that National Blood Donor Month, which has taken place each January since 1970, is such an important observance. Donating blood saves many lives and improves health for many people. According to the World Health Organization, “blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person — the gift of life. A decision to donate your blood can save a life.”

Did you know these facts? Seek below:

Give blood. Don’t wait for a disaster. Someone needs blood now! Contact the American Red Cross or your local blood bank for more information.

“The golden (Rh null) blood is the rarest blood group, lacking Rh antigens in the red blood cells (RBCs). Learn more about the golden blood type, other rare blood types, and blood charts.

Proteins known as Rhesus (Rh) factors or antigens are completely absent in the red cells of people with the golden blood type or Rh null blood group. This is the rarest blood group in the world, with less than 50 individuals having this blood group. Golden blood type was first discovered in an Australian Aboriginal woman in 1961.

Our red blood cells have sugars and proteins called antigens on their surface membranes. Depending on the mix of antigens present, blood is categorized into different blood types, and we have A, B, O, or AB blood types. The ABO system has a further distinction as Rh-positive or Rh-negative depending on the presence or absence of the “Rh-D” factor in the cells.

A person with the golden blood type, or the Rh null blood type lacks all the Rh antigens whereas a person with the Rh-negative blood group lacks only Rh-D antigen.

The worry with the golden blood type is that donations of the Rh null blood type are incredibly scarce and difficult to obtain. An Rh null person has to rely on the cooperation of a small network of regular Rh null donors around the world if they need blood. Across the globe, there are only nine active donors for this blood group. This makes it the world’s most precious blood type, hence the name “golden” blood.

Golden blood type can be donated. Because of the absence of antigens on RBCs, a person with Rh null blood is considered to be a universal donor, and this blood can be donated to anyone with rare blood types within the Rh systems.”

Medicine Net (Golden Blood Type: Understanding the Rarest Blood Group)

Blood type (also called blood group) is genetically determined. Blood is primarily categorised based on the presence and/or absence of antigens on the surface of our red blood cells (RBCs). Antigens are distinct molecules or substances capable of coaxing an immune response. Our immune system sends out mini soldiers called antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins), which are special proteins that recognise and bind to these antigens.

If our antibodies recognise these antigens as allies or naturally part of our body, our immune system happily leaves it alone.  But if they detect enemy or foreign antigens, our immune system will go on an all-out war to destroy them. This is the reason you need give the blood type and Rh factor (positive or negative) that a patient is if they need blood transfusions to prevent this destructive action to take place unless your the universal donor type O with no antibodies.  Unfortunately, our immune system isn’t perfect. In rare cases, it does attack ‘self’ antigens, as seen in some cases of autoimmune blood disorders.

You might be familiar with the ABO blood group system. When you ask someone what blood type they are, they might respond with “AB”. They are referring to this most important blood group system in human-blood transfusion. It comprises of only two antigens (antigen A and antigen B), but it can produce these four ABO blood types: A, B, AB or O.  At present, the International Society of Blood Transfusion recognises 36 human blood group systems and more than 300 different antigens.  The most common are type ABO and AB blood types.

Why does Rh positive or negative matter in knowing for your blood type?

The Rh blood group system has a colourful history. It consists of 61 blood group antigens (Rh antigens), which are expressed as part of a protein complex found only in RBC membranes. Rh antigens are believed to be essential for maintaining the integrity of RBCs.

Briefly going back to ABO blood group system, some people might tell you that they’re “O negative” or “A positive”. The negative/positive part refers to the absence or presence of one Rh antigen: the Rh(D) antigen. It’s the main Rh antigen considered for human-blood transfusion.

So what is Rh Null?

People who have the ‘golden blood’ type lack these Rh antigens. Their DNA lacks the genes responsible for building those RBC protein complexes. These people don’t just lack one, two or three of these 61 Rh antigens, they actually lack all of them. Yes, you read that right: all of them. As you might have guessed, people with Rh Null blood type have abnormal RBCs. They have deformed shapes, leaky membranes and shorter lifespans, which sometimes result in mild anaemia for the individual. Still, the absence of all Rh antigens makes Rh null the ‘golden blood’, which is highly admired for its rarity and medical purposes.

Rare blood types within the Rh blood type system can make it difficult or even impossible to get a blood transfusion. This makes Rh Null blood as the ‘universal’ life-saving blood for the Rh blood type system (especially if the donor has an ABO blood type O too).

But rarity comes at a price. If people with Rh Null blood type requires a blood transfusion, they can only receive Rh_null blood themselves. Even if they receive an O-negative blood, the presence of other Rh antigens on the RBCs may trigger a severe immune response. Therefore, these ‘golden blood’ carriers are solely dependent on other Rh Null donors, but only a few of them regularly donate and they are all spread out across the world.

This is why Rh Null blood is considered as the ‘golden blood’, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for those people who carry it. Still, we can’t deny the life-saving properties of this rare blood type and we can deeply appreciate the generosity of those selfless donors.