Calling Blood Type AB Donors

American Red Cross, New York-Penn Blood Services ^ | New York-Penn Blood Services

[kalee]

Yep, my parents were both O- as is my brother.

When my husband and I went for our premarital blood test the dr repeated the test twice, because he was so surprised to find that my husband is also O-. So are our children.

[blam]

"Actually not precisely true. If the parent with A gene also has O recessive, then half the children can be O. If parent is AA (with both genes A), then you are correct."

I can't argue with you. I was just paraphrasing Professor Stephen Oppenheimer from his book, Origins Of The British, on page #353-354 when he says:

" Our expression of blood groups in the blood typing test depends on the genes we get - one from each parent (our genotype). Blood group A is dominant, which means that the result of our blood test (our phenotype) is group A, whether we get one or two A genes from our parents, Group O is recessive, which means that we must receive both our parental genes as O to have an O blood group phenotype. If one parent gives us a O and the other gives us an A, we will test A.

Have I misinterperted his statement?

[Ronaldus Magnus]

...which means that we must receive both our parental genes as O to have an O blood group phenotype.

The ambiguity in this statement is that we only receive one respective blood group gene from each parent. Another way to think about this is that the O blood group would have been eliminated early on if it actually required two O type parents to propagate it.

[SoldierDad]

I have a son who is O+. Is this type needed too?

[toddlintown]

CAUTION: I was tested going in to the Army and tested AB+. Thought I was Hot$hit. Years later, when I had to have surgery, I was asked to go through the blood profiling again.

I was O+. The nurse said the Army was the worst for tagging blood types.

Winds up, she was right about my blood type.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Chrome something or other. Yeah, I’ve been blessed with that, too.

[blam]

"Another way to think about this is that the O blood group would have been eliminated early on if it actually required two O type parents to propagate it."

Oppenheimer does go on to explain why O types haven't disappeared. But, I'm not going to type any more of that book to FR, LOL.

[SandRat]

Some AB Blood Type Stats:

AB+
4% of patients can receive your red blood cells.
All patients can receive your platelets.
All patients can receive your plasma.

AB-
All patients can receive your Platelets.
5% of patients can receive your red blood cells.
All patients can receive your plasma.

[Paperdoll]

>...I often heard that Red Cross makes big bucks off of donated blood/plasma.<

So what does that matter if it saves lives? Are you saying you want your cut?

[Grizzled Bear]

I really wish I could donate. I spent three years in the U.K. and eight in Germany. Before being stationed in Germany I donated every other month.

Anybody know if the ban will ever be lifted?

[McLynnan]

buildup of iron in the body. Giving blood is the *cure*

I have this. It's called hemochromatosis. Blood banks must have a special variance to use it as donor blood. In my area neither of the blood banks have the variance so my blood is "burned". Such a shame because I have a unit drawn off several times a year and it goes to waste. I've been told the high iron levels are good for chemo patients and neonates.

[brytlea]

THat’s interesting. I read about it in a book I read this year on genetic diseases. I had never heard of it, altho interestingly my Dr. just tested me for it because of some symptoms I’m having. Of course, I didn’t have it. But I had never heard of it before reading that book. (quite an interesting book, called Survival of the Sickest).
susie

[McLynnan]

I heard that donating blood is actually healthy, for exactly this reason, and especially for men. The story is that TOO MUCH iron in the blood is a cardiac risk factor.

See post above. The excess iron can build up in the liver and other organs. I was asymptomatic and learned I had it after my brother was diagnosed. It's controlled by phlebotomy and diet. The patient's blood ferritin levels are monitored. The goal is to have a ferritin level of around 50 and when the levels climb higher it's time to give blood. Some people are very ill with it and others (like me) have no clue they even have it.

[McLynnan]

Thanks for the book recommendation. Doctors think a significant number of people probably have it and don’t know. See my post 73. The only symptom I have from it is fatigue when my iron levels climb. It’s an inconvenient condition, but not one that makes me sick. Hope you find what’s causing your symptoms.

[Ditter]

I think I am type O but I am not sure what you are saying about it.

[GBA]

Thanks for that info. I have moved a few times since they told me and I doubt I’m still on their list of donors. Prior to that, they definitely had my number and were not one bit shy about asking for more blood. Vampires! haha

[GBA]

Yep, I've mooed at the moon and mooned passersby who stared a bit too long.

I used to get those calls until the mad cow thing. I had some sort of anti-body that made me a 'very special' donor. They couldn't get enough of me.

You may end up packing some sort of 'special' anti-body, too, given all your unique locations. Personally, I've mooved enough to stay ahead of them, but now that I've heard about the waiver thing, I'll come in from the cold and let them stab me some more. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to look like a junkie.

[Andy'smom]

Yeah, that sounds right. It’s sort of the opposite of anemia.

[Libloather]

O-pos checking in. My stuff isn't even good enough for a local blood drive. While stationed in Germany, I got exposed to the Chernobyl cloud & the English mad cow scare.

I'm still walking. Should I be concerned about the infrequent mooing? (Hey, free milk and horns do pay off...)

[Jean S]

This doesn't fit with what I understand about blood transfusions unless things are different with plasma versus blood.

Blood transfusions – who can receive blood from whom?

People with blood group 0 are called "universal donors" and people with blood group AB are called "universal receivers."

 

Of course you can always give A blood to persons with blood group A, B blood to a person with blood group B and so on. But in some cases you can receive blood with another type of blood group, or donate blood to a person with another kind of blood group.

The transfusion will work if a person who is going to receive blood has a blood group that doesn't have any antibodies against the donor blood's antigens. But if a person who is going to receive blood has antibodies matching the donor blood's antigens, the red blood cells in the donated blood will clump.

Blood Group	Antigens	Antibodies	Can give blood to	Can receive blood from
AB	A and B	None	AB	AB, A, B, 0
A	A	B	A and AB	A and 0
B	B	A	B and AB	B and 0
0	None	A and B	AB, A, B, 0	0