{"id":14888,"date":"2020-08-13T11:09:05","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T15:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=14888"},"modified":"2024-08-11T16:35:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T20:35:40","slug":"blood-types","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/blood-types\/","title":{"rendered":"What does your blood type mean for your health?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blood types<\/a> | Blood type rarity chart<\/a> | How to find out blood type<\/a> | How blood type is determined<\/a> | Blood type compatibility<\/a> | Healthiest blood types<\/a> | Blood type diet<\/a> | Blood type personality<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

If all you know about your blood is that it\u2019s red, you have some catching up to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blood is made up of a lot of different components. There are red and white blood cells, which carry oxygen and help fight infection, respectively. There are platelets, which help your blood clot. And there\u2019s plasma, which provides the body with things like nutrients and hormones. Your plasma contains antibodies, which are substances your immune system uses to fight foreign invaders like germs and bacteria.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your blood also contains antigens. These are proteins and other molecules present on the outside of your red blood cells; they determine what type of blood you have. Blood is further classified by its rhesus factor (aka, Rh factor). If your blood contains the Rh D factor\u2014the most prevalent and important of the Rh factors\u2014you have a positive blood type. If your blood lacks it, you have a negative blood type.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Categorizing blood according to type is important for things like blood transfusions, which replace blood that\u2019s lost through surgery, accidents, and bleeding disorders. Mixing one type of blood that\u2019s incompatible with another\u2014thanks to things like antigens and Rh factor\u2014can be fatal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Healthy blood is essential for a healthy life. From typing to transfusing, here\u2019s what you need to know about your blood and your health.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many different blood types are there?<\/h2>\n

The vast majority of people have one of eight blood types. Blood types are based on the antigens (or lack of them) found in your blood cells and whether or not your blood contains the Rh D factor. Blood is typed according to an ABO blood group system. If your blood has A antigens, you have an A blood type. If you have B antigens, you have a B blood type. Some people have both A and B antigens, giving them AB blood. And people with an O blood type have neither A nor B antigens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each of those types are further broken down based on their Rh factor. For example, some people have A positive blood while others have A negative. A very small number of people have what\u2019s called Rh null blood (also called gold blood), meaning it has no Rh factors at all. This is extremely rare, occurring in only a handful of people worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You may have the <\/span>blood subtype Ro<\/span><\/a> (a special marker on your red blood cells) if you are Rh positive. That means your blood type could be A+, B+, AB+ or O+. The Ro subtype is most common among African Americans (44%), and because this ethnic group is most likely to develop <\/span>sickle cell disease<\/span><\/a>, Ro subtype blood is more likely to be needed for blood transfusions. It takes 20 donors to provide enough blood for each sickle cell patient.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the most common blood type?<\/span><\/h2>\n

How common or rare a blood type is varies by race, ethnic background, and what part of the world you live in. According to the book<\/span> Blood Groups and Red Cell Antigens<\/span><\/i>,<\/span><\/a> blood type B is common in people in Asia while blood type A is common in Central and Eastern Europe. In the U.S. and Western Europe, O positive is the most common blood type, as is having a positive Rh factor. AB negative is the rarest. What about the rest of the blood types? The<\/span> Stanford Blood Center<\/span><\/a> provides these blood type percentages.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Blood type by rarity<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

Blood type<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nPercentage of Americans with blood type<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
O+<\/span><\/td>\n37.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A+<\/span><\/td>\n35.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B+<\/span><\/td>\n8.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
O-<\/span><\/td>\n6.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A-<\/span><\/td>\n6.3%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AB+<\/span><\/td>\n3.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B-<\/span><\/td>\n1.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AB-<\/span><\/td>\n0.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What\u2019s my blood type? How to find out<\/h2>\n

There are three ways you can find out your blood type.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Your healthcare provider can order a blood type test.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. You can donate blood. A typing test will be done and the results sent to you.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. You can purchase an at-home blood typing test. These tests usually involve pricking your finger and putting a drop of blood on a chemically treated card that looks for antigens and the Rh factor. You then match what you see on the card to a provided guide. Other tests may involve a saliva sample.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These tests aren\u2019t foolproof, though. \u201cThere are certain scenarios in which we find discrepancies in our blood typing,\u201d says Deva Sharma<\/a>, MD, MS, a hematologist-oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. \u201cThis can occur in a person with a blood cancer, for example, or in someone who has had a recent blood transfusion or stem cell transplant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    What your blood type says about you<\/h2>\n

    What does your blood type say about your heritage?<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Your blood type is inherited from your parents\u2014and you can\u2019t change it any more than you can change your eye color.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Each parent contributes one of their two A, B, or O alleles (a form of a gene) to a baby\u2019s blood type. The O allele is considered recessive, which means it\u2019s not always expressed. So if a woman with OO alleles has a baby with a man who has BB alleles, the baby will have a B blood type.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Can a baby ever have a blood type different from its parents? \u201cThere are certain scenarios in which we find discrepancies in our blood typing,\u201d Dr. Sharma says. <\/span>\u201cFor example, an AO mother will have blood type A, and a BO father will have blood type B. However, there is a 25% chance they could have a baby with the blood type O (with inheritance of the OO alleles), and a 25% chance they could have a baby with an AB blood type (with inheritance of the A allele from the mother and the B allele from the father).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    What other combinations can occur?<\/span> Emory University School of Medicine<\/span><\/a> put together this chart:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Parent #1\u2019s alleles<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nParent #2\u2019s alleles<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nBaby\u2019s blood type<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AA or AO (Type A)<\/span><\/td>\nAA or AO (Type A)<\/span><\/td>\nType A or O\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AA or AO (Type A)<\/span><\/td>\nBB or BO (Type B)<\/span><\/td>\nType A, B, AB, or O\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AA or AO (Type A)<\/span><\/td>\nAB (Type AB)<\/span><\/td>\nType A, B, or AB<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AA or AO (Type A)<\/span><\/td>\nOO (Type O)<\/span><\/td>\nType A or O<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    BB or BO (Type B)<\/span><\/td>\nBB or BO (Type B)<\/span><\/td>\nType B or O<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    BB or BO (Type B)<\/span><\/td>\nAB (Type AB)<\/span><\/td>\nType B, A or AB<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    BB or BO (Type B)<\/span><\/td>\nOO (Type O)<\/span><\/td>\nType B or O<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AB (Type AB)<\/span><\/td>\nAB (Type AB)<\/span><\/td>\nType A, B, or AB<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AB (Type AB)<\/span><\/td>\nOO (Type O)<\/span><\/td>\nType A or B<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    OO (Type O)<\/span><\/td>\nOO (Type O)<\/span><\/td>\nType O<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Your Rh factor is also inherited, and like your blood type, you inherit one of two Rh alleles from each parent. So a baby receiving an Rh-positive allele from each parent will be Rh positive, and one receiving a negative Rh allele from each parent will be Rh negative. If you have one positive and one negative Rh allele (making you Rh positive, as the Rh-negative allele won\u2019t be dominant), you could pass either one down to your child. Whether or not your baby will be Rh positive or negative will depend on what is also passed down by the other parent.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Who can I donate blood to?<\/span><\/h3>\n

    While it seems counterintuitive, knowing your blood type isn\u2019t absolutely critical. \u201cSurprisingly, many people go through their entire lives without knowing their blood type and it causes them no harm,\u201d says<\/span> Jerry E. Squires<\/span><\/a>, MD, Ph.D., a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. \u201cWhy? Because no hospital is going to transfuse a patient without first doing tests to determine the patient\u2019s blood type. And, no, a hospital will not take a patient\u2019s word for their blood type. I know that I am blood group A, but if I need blood, tests are going to be done first to make sure of my type and that safe red blood cell units are selected for my transfusion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Getting transfused with a type of blood that isn\u2019t compatible with yours can be deadly. That\u2019s because antibodies in the foreign blood can trigger an immune response to attack against it, causing a cascade of problems. What blood types are compatible and which ones aren\u2019t? According to<\/span> Stanford Blood Center<\/span><\/a>, safe combinations include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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    Blood type compatibility chart<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

    Blood type<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nCan donate blood to<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nCan receive blood from<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A+<\/span><\/td>\nA+, AB+<\/span><\/td>\nA+, A-, O+, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A-<\/span><\/td>\nA-, A+, AB-, AB+<\/span><\/td>\nA-, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    B+<\/span><\/td>\nB+, AB+<\/span><\/td>\nB+, B-, O+, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    B-<\/span><\/td>\nB-, B+, AB-, AB+<\/span><\/td>\nB-, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AB+<\/span><\/td>\nAB+\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nAB+, AB-, A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    AB-<\/span><\/td>\nAB-, AB+<\/span><\/td>\nAB-, A-, B-, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    O+<\/span><\/td>\nO+, A+, B+, AB+<\/span><\/td>\nO+, O-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    O-<\/span><\/td>\nO-, O+, A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-<\/span><\/td>\nO-<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    RELATED: <\/b>Can I donate blood? Who can donate blood\u2014and who can\u2019t<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s the best blood type to donate?<\/span><\/h3>\n

    What happens if you\u2019re in an emergency with no time for a blood type test? You\u2019ll receive O- blood. Without any antigens or Rh D factor, O- blood is compatible with all other blood types. For that reason, people with O- blood are referred to as \u201cuniversal donors.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    According to the<\/span> American Red Cross<\/span><\/a>, every two seconds someone in this country needs a blood transfusion. That makes<\/span> blood donations<\/span><\/a> particularly critical. \u201cIf you\u2019re healthy, please be a blood donor,\u201d Dr. Squires urges. \u201cThere is no substitute for blood, and if people don\u2019t donate we will run out. That would mean no surgeries, no transplants, and no treatment for traumas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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