Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

RF
Rheumatoid factor.
Rh factor
An antigen found in the red blood cells
of most people. Those who have Rh factor are said
to be Rh positive (Rh+), and those who do not are
Rh negative (Rh-). Blood used in transfusions must
match donors for Rh status as well as for ABO blood
group because Rh- patients will develop anemia if
given R+ blood. Rh typing is also important during
abortion, miscarriage, pregnancy, and birth, as
mother and fetus may not be Rh compatible. Rh
stands for rhesus monkeys, in whose blood this anti-
gen was first found. See also 
Rh incompatibility;
RhoGAM.
Rh incompatibility
A difference in Rh blood
group types between an Rh- mother and her Rh+
baby that leads to hemolytic disease of the newborn.
See also 
hemolytic disease of the newborn.
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Rh incompatibility
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rhabdomyolysis
A condition in which skeletal
muscle is broken down, releasing muscle enzymes
and electrolytes from inside the muscle cells. Risks of
rhabdomyolysis include muscle breakdown and kid-
ney failure because the cellular component myo-
globin is toxic to the kidneys. Rhabdomyolysis is rel-
atively uncommon, but it most often occurs as the
result of extensive muscle damage as, for example, in
crush injury or electrical shock. Drugs or toxins may
also cause this disorder. Underlying diseases that can
also lead to rhabdomyolysis include collagen vascu-
lar diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.
rhabdomyosarcoma
A fast-growing malignancy
of muscle that mainly affects children (more than
60 percent of cases are diagnosed before age 10)
but can occur at any age. Treatment includes sur-
gery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and, most often, a
combination of these modes of treatment. The out-
look depends on a number of factors, including the
original location of the tumor.