{"id":58199,"date":"2023-05-04T09:30:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T13:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=58199"},"modified":"2024-10-25T10:45:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:45:09","slug":"rarest-blood-type","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/rarest-blood-type\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the rarest blood type?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know your blood type?  If you do not, you are like most people. If you’re ever in a life-threatening situation requiring a blood transfusion, your blood type will always be checked. That’s because if you’re given an incompatible blood donation, your immune system will attack the donor blood by forming antibodies to destroy the unrecognized “foreign invaders.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Of the eight most common blood types, some are rarer than others. What’s more, the type of blood you can receive from a donor is dictated by your own blood type. Here’s what you need to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What does your blood type mean for your health?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What are the different blood types?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are<\/span> four<\/span><\/a> major blood types grouped by the ABO blood group system. This system <\/span>categorizes<\/span><\/a> blood types based on the presence or absence of specific markers (sugars) on red blood cells called Antigen A or B. <\/span> <\/span>The four main blood types are A, B, AB, and O. The most common ABO blood group is O, followed by group B, group A, and group AB (the least common). <\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Eric Ascher, DO<\/span><\/a>, a family medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York<\/span>, blood types also indicate what antibodies (proteins that attack foreign red blood cells) your blood has. For example, blood type<\/span> A has A antigens and anti-B antibodies; the opposite is true for type B blood. Type O has no antigens, but both antibodies, and Type AB has both antigens, and no antibodies, Dr. Ascher explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blood types are further classified according to the Rh system, which identifies the presence or absence of the Rhesus (Rh) factor (a protein antigen)<\/a> on the surface of red blood cells. Each of the four blood types can be Rh-, meaning there is no Rh factor cell surface protein on your red blood cells, or Rh+, meaning Rh factor is present. It is more common to have Rh+ blood than Rh- blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using these two categorization systems, there are eight blood <\/span>types<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A positive blood (A+):<\/b> Red blood cells have the A antigen and Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. A negative blood (A-): <\/b>Red blood cells have the A antigen, but do not have the Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. B positive blood (B+): <\/b>Red blood cells have the B antigen and Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. B negative blood (B-): <\/b>Red blood cells have the B antigen, but do not have the Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. AB positive blood (AB+): <\/b>Red blood cells have the A and B antigens and Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. AB negative blood (AB-):<\/b> Red blood cells have the A and B antigens, but do not have the Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. O positive blood (O+):<\/b> Red blood cells do not have the  A and B antigens and have the Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. O negative blood (O-):<\/b> Red blood cells do not have the  A and B antigens, but do not have the Rh factor<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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

    Of the eight blood types, Group AB- is the least common blood type in the U.S.—and worldwide. <\/span>According to the American Red Cross<\/span><\/a>, fewer than 1% of Americans have AB negative (AB-) blood, and fewer than 4% have AB positive (AB+) blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

    However, not everyone’s blood falls into these eight categories. <\/span>Certain rare<\/span><\/a> blood types are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups; for example, U-negative and Duffy-negative blood types are only found among African-Americans. One of the rarest blood types is Rh-null (lacking all Rh antigens), <\/span>according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/span><\/a>. Sometimes referred to as “golden blood,” fewer than 50 people in the world have this type of blood.  <\/span><\/p>\n

    Additionally, the percentage of a population that has a specific blood type varies by ethnicity. For example, according to <\/span>research<\/span><\/a>: <\/span><\/p>\n