- By Prerna Targhotra
- Thu, 15 Feb 2024 01:47 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
What Are Blood Donor Chart Types: There are emergencies when a person needs blood and the hospitals do not have the blood type for the patient. In such situations, blood donors come forward to give blood to the individual and save their life. We all may have come across such situations when we have had a run-through for a blood type for someone. Not everyone can give blood to everybody. There are certain types that can give blood to specific receivers. Here, we have listed blood donor chart types and receiver blood types.
The presence or lack of two antigens, A and B, on the surface of red blood cells, results in one of four primary blood types. The eight most frequent blood types (A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+, AB-) are formed by the presence or absence of a protein known as the Rh factor, which is in addition to the A and B antigens. The list below shows the percentage of donors with each blood type:
- O positive: 35%
- O negative: 13%
- A positive: 30%
- A negative: 8%
- B positive: 8%
- B negative: 2%
- AB positive: 2%
- AB negative: 1%
Blood Types And Transfusion
Not every person can give his/her blood to everybody. There are certain specific ways in which blood types must be matched for a safe transfusion.
Blood Donor Chart Types (Image Credits: Canva)
Different Blood Types
O Positive
The O+ blood group is known to be the most common blood type as 35% of donors have it. According to the NHS, anyone with an Rh-positive blood type can receive O-positive red blood cells, so that’s A positive, B positive and AB positive as well as O positive. People with O-positive blood can receive donations from O-positive blood donors and O-negative blood donors.
O Negative
Around 13% of donors have this blood type. O-negative donors are often called ‘Universal Donors’ because anyone can receive the red blood cells from their donations. People with O-negative blood can only receive red cell donations from O-negative donors.
A Positive
According to the NHS, around 30% of donors have A-positive blood, making it the second most common blood type after O-positive. A positive red blood cell can be given to people with A positive blood and AB positive blood. People with A positive blood can receive donations from A positive donors, A negative donors, O negative donors and O positive donors.
A Negative
Around 8% of donors have A negative blood. A negative red blood cell can be used to treat people with A negative blood, A positive blood, AB positive blood and AB negative blood. People with A-negative blood can receive donations from A-negative donors and O-negative donors.
B Positive
Only about 8% of donors have a B-positive blood type. In total, 10% of people belong to blood group B, making it one of the least common blood groups, as per NHS. B-positive red blood cells can be given to people with B-positive blood and AB-positive blood. People with B-positive blood can receive donations from B-positive donors, B-negative donors, O-negative donors and O-positive donors.
B Negative
B-negative blood is one of the rarest blood types as just 2% of the blood donors have it. B-negative blood can help people who are B negative, B positive, AB negative and AB positive. B-negative people can receive red blood cells from B-negative donors and O-negative donors.
Blood Donor Chart Types (Image Credits: Canva)
AB Positive
Just 2% of donors have AB-positive blood making it one of the rarest blood types in the country. According to the NHS, people with AB-positive blood can safely receive red blood cells from any blood type. This means that demand for AB-positive red blood cells is at its lowest level in a decade.
AB Negative
AB negative is the rarest blood type in the ABO blood group, accounting for just 1% of our blood donors. You can receive AB-negative red blood cells if you are AB-negative and AB-positive. People with AB-negative blood can receive donations from AB-negative donors, O-negative donors, A-negative donors and B-negative donors.
Blood Group Matching Table
According to the American Society of Hematology, on their surface, red cells have inherited chemical structures called antigens that can cause a person’s immune system to make antibodies against them. Humans have 35 major groups or families of these antigens, as well as other minor groups, but consideration of two, the ABO group and the RhD group is very important to ensure that a transfusion recipient receives compatible blood. The presence of antigens within these groups is what determines a person’s blood type. Blood types are referred to as Type A, Type B, Type AB (which has both A and B antigens), or Type O (which has neither A nor B antigens) followed by positive or negative, which indicates the presence of the RhD antigen. Persons who are RhD negative have no RhD antigen.
Recipient Blood Type | Matching Donor Blood Type |
A+ | A+, A-, O+, O- |
A- | A-, O- |
B+ | B+, B-, O+, O- |
B- | B-, O- |
AB+ | Compatible with all blood types |
AB- | AB-, A-, B-, O- |
O+ | O+, O- |
O- | O- |
The American Society of Hematology states that in emergencies when the recipient’s blood type is unknown, the person can receive type O negative red cells without producing an ABO or RhD incompatibility reaction. In other situations, even non-emergent, where the recipient’s specific blood type is known but there is no type-specific blood available, a compatible type may be used if determined to be compatible by cross-matching. Cross-matching is a simple and commonly practised laboratory test that verifies blood compatibility. In the latter instance, for example, if an AB-positive recipient needs blood and there are no AB-positive donors, they could receive blood from a Type A-positive donor after a proper cross-match.
(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment.)