Melondy Phillips
Staff Writer
Life threatening health issues and accidents happen every day and thousands end in hospitalizations.
Blood donations can mean the difference between life and death in many situations. Knowing your blood type, and carrying that information with you, can save precious life-giving minutes when an emergency transfusion is needed.
There are eight blood type groups: O+, O-, A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+ and AB-.
Of these blood types, O-Negative is considered the “universal red cell donor.” A-Negative is called the “universal platelet type” and AB-Negative (mainly males – more later) is the “universal plasma donor” because that part of the blood can be given to any recipient.
A red blood, or whole blood donation, can be directly transfused into a patient or separated into its components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. An average blood transfusion may take three pints of whole blood, or three separate donations. There are other types of donations that are just as important, that I’ll talk about near the end.
How are the types of blood labeled?
Blood type it determined by the presence or absence of two antigens, A and B, on the surface of red blood cells and if the Rh factor protein is either absent or present. Type O blood has neither antigen while AB has both present. The Rh factor is an inherited protein found on the surface of the red blood cell. Most blood types, around 85%, have this protein resulting in a positive blood type. The absence of this protein results in a negative blood type and is considered rare.
O-Positive lacks both A and B antigens but has the Rh protein. Donations of this type of blood can be given to anyone with an Rh-positive blood, which is the majority of the population. O-Positive accounts for about 38% of all blood types.
Blood type O-Negative lacks all three factors, allowing it to be safely given to all blood types: referred to as the “universal blood type.” Because of this, O-Negative blood is the most highly sought after blood for use in emergency rooms, especially when a blood type is unknown and minutes can mean the difference between life or death. As versatile as this blood type is, an O-Negative patient can only receive O-Negative blood, making it vitally important to donate. O-Negative accounts for about 7% of all blood types.
A-Positive blood is the second most common blood type. A-positive blood can be given to other A-Positive patients as well as AB-positive patients. A Give Blood website in the UK says that A-Positive blood makes up about one third of the blood requests from hospitals. Interesting fact: according to blood.co.uk, “A-positive blood from male donors can also be made into special medicines to treat conditions such as Dry Eye Syndrome.” A-Positive accounts for about 34% of all blood types.
An A-Negative person can donate to A-, A+, AB- and AB+ blood types (about 40% of the population) but can only receive blood from A-Negative and O-Negative donors. According to blood.co.uk, “A-Negative platelets are particularly important because they can be given to people from all blood groups. That’s why A-Negative platelets are called the ‘universal platelet type.’” A-Negative accounts for about 6% of all blood types.
B-Positive, especially the rare B-Positive with subtype Ro (approximately only 2% of donors), is highly sought after for treating people with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia who need regular transfusions. B-Positive blood can only be received by B+ and AB+ patients. B-positive accounts for about 9% of all blood types.
B-Negative is among the rarest blood types. B-Negative can be given to B- and AB-Positive and to B- and AB-Negative patients, but can only receive blood type B-Negative and O-Negative. B-negative accounts for about 2% of all blood types.
AB-Positive blood can only be given to patients with AB-Positive blood but those who have AB-Positive blood can receive all other blood types. So, the donated blood has a limited cliental list but the donor can receive from anyone. While the need for AB-Positive blood has declined, the demand for plasma, from males, hasn’t changed. AB-Positive accounts for about 3% of all blood types.
AB-Negative blood is the rarest blood type of the eight groups. Plasma from AB-Negative can be given to any blood type; however, plasma used is mainly received from male donors, making it even scarcer. Women donors, especially those who have been pregnant, can develop HLA antibodies. While the antibodies are normally harmless to the donor, they could cause life threatening complications if transfused into a patient. Women can also donate but must first be tested for HLA antibodies to reduce the risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury in the recipient. AB- Negative accounts for about 1% of all blood types.
There are ways to donate in addition to the common whole blood donation.
Plasma can also be donated. Plasma contains antibodies, clotting factors and proteins. A single unit can help up to three different people. A person with primary immunodeficiency needs 130 donations for one year’s worth of treatments. Males are encouraged to donate plasma. This procedure takes about an hour and 15 minutes.
The American Red Cross website states that someone needs platelets every 15 seconds, from trauma patients to those fighting cancer. Since platelets can only be stored for up to five days, new donations are needed often. A single platelet donation can help up to three adults or 12 children. Plate-lets can only be donated at select American Red Cross Donation Centers and it requires an appointment. The process takes about three hours start to finish which includes about 30 minutes for filling out a health survey and time at the end for snacks. Take some time to watch that movie you haven’t had a chance to watch while donating to save lives.