Blood Group

Blood is fluid in the body which circulates throughout the body. It is an important factor that helps transport nutrients and oxygen to the cells of our body. Blood is needed to keep a living thing alive. Blood carries all the non-essential materials like deoxygenated blood and other waste materials to the lungs, kidneys, and digestive system to remove them from the body. Blood carried important components like RBC, WBC, and platelets. Blood is composed of blood cells and plasma. The main function of plasma is to carry all the nutrients, protein, and hormones to the part of the body. Let us study blood and blood groups in detail.

Components of blood

Blood has four main components:- plasma, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. 

• Plasma:- Plasma is a liquid component of blood in which there are red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets suspended. The major protein that is present in plasma is Albumin. Plasma can replenish the tissues with extra water in the absence of water and absorb water from the tissues.

• Red blood cells:- Red blood cells make up 40% of the blood volume. Red blood cells consist of haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is a pigment that gives a red colour to the blood.

• White blood cells:- They are less than RBCs. White blood cells defend the body against all infections. 

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Blood group

There are four main blood groups. They are:-

• Blood group A

• Blood group B

• Blood group AB

• Blood group O  

Karl Landsteiner discovered the A, B, and O blood groups in 1900. After that, the AB blood group was discovered by his student Decastallo and Sturli in 1902. Two types of antigens were found in the blood group, and they were named antigen A and antigen B. In the ABO system, the presence of antigen A and antigen B determine the blood group.  

Blood group A:- A person having blood group A has the A antigen on the surface of the red blood cell (RBC) and shows the B antibodies in plasma. 

Blood group B:- A person having blood group B has B antigen on the surface of the red blood cell and shows A antibodies in plasma 

Blood group AB:- A person having blood group AB has both antigen A and B on the surface of the red blood cell and has no antibodies in the plasma. 

Blood group O:- A person having blood group O lacks antigens on the surface of the red blood cells and shows the presence of both A and B antibodies in the plasma. 

A person with a blood group O can donate blood to anyone, but someone with blood group AB can receive blood from anyone. 

These four main blood groups are further divided into eight blood groups based on their Rh factor. 

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Rh factor

In Rh factor, it shows the presence of antigen D on the surface of red blood cells. If an individual has a D antigen, then it is Rh-positive, and those who do not have antigen D are called Rh-negative. The eight blood groups are:- 

• A positive(A+)

• A negative(A-)

• B positive(B+)

• B negative(B-)

• AB positive (AB+)

• AB negative (AB-)

• O positive (O+)

• O negative (O-)

Rare blood group

A rare blood group is a blood group that has a rate of 1 per 1000 people or else. Out of the ABO blood system, hundreds of antigens may be attached to the red blood cells. One of the rarest blood groups is the Rh-null blood group. It shows no presence of Rh antigen. This type is also known as golden blood. Other than that, AB- is considered a rare blood group.

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Universal donor blood group

A universal donor blood group is a person who can donate their blood to any recipient of any blood group. Although people have blood group O is known as the universal donor blood group. But individuals having blood group O- are known as the true universal donor blood group. Blood group O- has no antigen present, and therefore, they can donate to any person with any blood group type. A person having blood group O+ can not donate blood to an Rh-negative individual. Blood group O is in high demand as it is a universal donor blood group. 

Conclusion

Blood is a circulatory build that carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the body. Blood has four main components: plasma, RBC, WBC, and platelets. There are four main blood groups:- 

• Blood group A

• Blood group B

• Blood group AB

• Blood group O 

The blood group system was discovered by Karl Landsteiner. There are two types of antigens found in the blood: antigen A and antigen B. These main blood groups are further divided into 8 groups based on the Rh factor. Rh-null is a rare blood group that can be seen in very few people. Blood group O is the universal donor blood group.