RH FACTOR - Definition

WordNet Dictionary

	Definition:	[n] a blood group antigen possessed by Rh-positive people; if an Rh-negative person receives a blood transfusion from an Rh-positive person it can result in hemolysis and anemia

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	Synonyms:	Rh, rhesus factor

	See Also:	antigen

Medical Dictionary

	Definition:	A blood factor located in red blood cells. Eighty-five percent of the population carry the blood factor and are Rh positive. Fifteen percent are missing the factor from their blood cells and are Rh negative.

Biology Dictionary

	Definition:	An antigen that may or may not be present on the surface of human blood cells. If a person's blood has the antigen, their blood type is "positive"; if they do not, it is "negative." The Rh factor is important mainly because if a woman who is Rh- conceives a child who is Rh+, the mixing of their bloods in the placenta may provoke an immune reaction in the mother that can cause a life-threatening agglutination of the fetus' blood cells. The Rh factor is so named because it was first identified in Rhesus monkeys. See also ABO blood group.