Get to Know Blood Types and What They Mean

 

“Blood is memory without a language”

Blood is a body fluid containing various proteins, nutrients, and oxygen that travels through the circulatory system. Blood is the basis of life. Without blood, life cannot be sustained. Blood is extremely important for life because of the crucial functions it performs every single day. From the minute that we are born to the day that we die, blood carries clean oxygen from the lungs to the heart, and other essential organs and cells, whilst also carrying carbon dioxide back to the lungs for exhalation. Other functions of the blood also include coagulation, maintaining body temperature, hydraulic functions and transporting hormones to name a few. 

Now, like most things, blood also has variations in the inherent nature of its being. Blood’s composition is complex but intricate. Let us learn the chemical composition of its various varieties and their significance. 

From the outside, blood is considered to be a fluid with a thin membrane but on the inside it is composed of blood plasma, proteins, glucose, mineral ions, hormones, carbon dioxide with Albumin as the main protein blood plasma. There are several blood group variations in the human haematological system but they are mainly categorized in two umbrella groups- (i) The ABO, AB blood group system, discovered in the year 1900 by Karl Landsteiner and Jan Janksy in the year 1907, respectively and (ii) The Protein mix that determines whether you have a positive or negative blood type also known as the Rh system

Variation 1: A positive / A negative 

A positive or A+ blood means that your blood consists of type-A antigens with inclusion of a protein known as the Rhesus (Rh) factor. It is one of the most commonly found blood group in the world. 

Compatibility: People of Type A blood group can donate their blood to other type A individuals and type AB individuals. Type A blood group people can receive blood only from type O individuals and type A individuals.

Variation 2: B positive / B negative

B positive or B+ blood means that your blood consists of type-B antigens with inclusion of the Rhesus Rh factor. 

Compatibility: Type B individuals can donate blood to other B individuals and AB individuals. Blood groups with Type B can only receive blood from type O and type B individuals.

Variation 3: AB positive / AB negative

AB positive or AB+ blood means that your blood consists of both type A & B antigens with inclusion of the positive Rhesus Rh factor.

Compatibility:  Blood groups of Type AB are eligible to give blood only to other AB individuals, but are allowed to receive blood from any blood group type.

Note: Type AB-negative blood group is considered to be a universal plasma donor, which means that anybody is allowed to receive type AB-negative plasma. Patients with type AB-negative blood are allowed and eligible to receive any Rh-negative blood type.

It is important in cases of emergencies and traumas to be aware of your blood type because in case of excessive blood loss, timely blood transfusion can prove to be lifesaving for affected patients. Sohana Hospital, Mohali has a fully functioning blood bank in Chandigarh, providing whole human blood/ partial blood components to its inpatients and also to other private hospital’s nearest blood banks and nursing homes around its region. The blood bank is operational 24x7 for 365 days of the year. It is NACO approved and is kept under hygienic conditions with regular quality checks conducted to inspect blood bags, kits and its components.