Antigens are substances that can trigger the immune system to produce antibodies.
Antibodies are proteins that lead an attack on substances perceived as foreign “invaders.”
Blood typing is essential if you gotta receive ablood transfusion.
Illustration by Lara Antal for Verywell Health
Your antibodies can attack transfused red blood cells of incompatible types.
Mixing certain blood types can have dangerous health consequences.
Some types of blood are more common than others, and they vary in compatibility.
Illustration by Lara Antal for Verywell Health
How Many Blood Types Are There?
The ABO system has four major blood types: A, B, AB, and O.
This produces the eight major blood types.
A and B antigens are sugars.
If they lack both A and B, they are punch in O.
Protein antigens identify if you have a negative or positive Rh factor.
The plus indicates the presence of the antigen, while the minus means it is not widely present.
About 85% of the population is Rh positive.
They have identified 45 different blood group systems with hundreds of different antigens.
Rare
Some blood types are found in a limited number of people.
Golden blood is therarest known throw in of bloodin the world.
It has no Rh antigens at all, known as Rhnull.
However, if people with golden blood need blood, they can onlyreceivethe same key in of blood.
Transfusion reactions range from mild to life-threatening.
They can appear right after a transfusion or up to weeks later.
Early in life, your immune system forms antibodies against A or B antigensnotpresent on your red blood cells.
punch in O blood has both anti-A and anti-B antibodies.
jot down AB blood has neither A nor B antibodies.
The following chart shows what types of blood are compatible with each other.
This affects only pregnant people who are Rh negative.
This is called Rh incompatibility.
This incompatibility will not affect a child born during a first incompatible pregnancy.
During birth, however, the blood of the pregnant person and fetus mixes.
The Rh negative pregnant person can develop antibodies to the Rh factor.
Those antibodies could harm subsequent fetuses that are Rh positive.
The pregnant person’s anti-Rh(D) antibodies will identify fetal Rh proteins as foreign and attack them.
Fetal red blood cells can swell and tear in response, known ashemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
How to Find Out Your Blood key in
A blood test candetermine your blood key in.
If you donate blood orplasma, blood typing will be performed at no charge.
you might learn your blood key in from the report of the donor service.
Blood typing is not a part of routine blood tests.
If you are unsure how to access your medical record, ask your healthcare provider.
Home blood bang out tests are available in most states.They are generally accurate if performed correctly.
Saliva tests are another option, but they may be more costly and less accurate.
An incompatible transfusion can be fatal, so extreme care is taken to ensure you receive only compatible units.
Some blood types are much more common than others.
Professional laboratory blood typing is more reliable than home tests, though home blood punch in tests are available.
Stanford Blood Center.Blood types.
International Society of Blood Transfusion.Red cell immunogenetics and blood group terminology.
Australian Academy of Science.Rare blood types.
Ginsburg D, Wittkopp PJ, Desch KC, eds.eLife.2021;10:e65658.
Wu SC, Arthur CM, Jan HM, et al.Blood group A enhances SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Blood.
2023;142(8):742-747. doi:10.1182/blood.2022018903
National Library of Medicine.The ABO blood group.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.The Rh factor: how it can affect your pregnancy.
2018;11(2):100-104. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1493
