Blood types
http://www.mamashealth.com/blood/bloodtype.asp
The main red blood cell groups are A, B, AB, and O. The letters stand for two antigens (chemical substances that can be targeted by one’s immune system) labeled A and B.
- Group A blood has only the A antigen
- Group B has the only the B antigen
- Group AB has both
- Group O has neither
You can’t donate red blood cells to anyone and you can’t receive blood from anyone — blood groups need to be matched.
Blood types statistics
- Almost 40% of the population has O+ blood
- Patients with Type O blood must receive Type O blood
- Type O blood is the universal blood type and is the only blood type that can be transfused to patients with other blood types
- Only about 7% of all people have Type O negative blood
- Type O negative blood is the preferred type for accident victims and babies needing exchange transfusions
- There is always a need for Type O donors because their blood may be transfused to a person of any blood type in an emergency
If your blood type is…
| Type | You Can Give Blood To | You Can Receive Blood From |
Out of 100 donors . . . . .
|
84 donors are RH+ |
16 donors are RH- |
|
38 are O+ |
7 are O- |
|
34 are A+ |
6 are A- |
|
9 are B+ |
2 are B- |
|
3 are AB+ |
1 is AB- |