Speaking of Blood Types (or blood groups and a mix of joke) There are four major blood groups determined by the presence or absence of two antigens – A and B – on the surface of red blood cells: Group A – has only the A antigen on red cells (and B antibody in the plasma) Group B – has only the B antigen on red cells (and A antibody in the plasma) Group AB – has both A and B antigens on red cells (but neither A nor B antibody in the plasma) Group O – has neither A nor B antigens on red cells (but both A and B antibody are in the plasma) In addition to the A and B antigens, there is a third antigen called the Rh factor, which can be either present (+) or absent ( – ). In general, Rh negative blood is given to Rh-negative patients, and Rh positive blood or Rh negative blood may be given to Rh positive patients. The universal red cell donor has Type O negative blood type. The universal plasma donor has Type AB positive blood type. O positive is the most common blood type. Not all ethnic groups have the same mix of these blood types. Hispanic people, for example, have a relatively high number of O’s, while Asian people have a relatively high number of B’s. Like eye color, blood type is passed genetically from our parents. Whether our blood group is type A, B, AB or O is based on the blood types of our mother and father. And so, as part of the screening process, I told the attending nurse at the Indianapolis Hospital that my mother had ethnic spanish origin - Zitas of Lubao, Pampanga and Merzas of Zambales. She got baffled at the result of my blood type. It reads: OA
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 06:48:50 +0000
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