What is your blood type? Let's find out exactly what these blood types are.

Today we're going to talk about a very important topic. That's blood types. You've probably heard of things like 'A positive' and 'O negative'. But what exactly are these blood types? Why are they so important when it comes to donating blood to us? Let's talk about all this in a simple way that you can understand.

What is really in our blood?

Think about it, this red liquid that runs through our bodies, blood, is not just water. It has many amazing and important things in it. Simply put, our blood has four main components:

• Red blood cells: These are what carry oxygen throughout our bodies, like a food delivery service.
• White blood cells: These are like the police in our body. These white blood cells fight germs that cause disease .
• Platelets: These are the platelets that help stop bleeding when you get hurt. They clump together and form blood clots.
• Plasma: This is the liquid part of the blood. The previously mentioned red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are all floating in this liquid called plasma.

The amazing thing is, not everyone's blood is the same. There are small differences. Those differences are what we call blood types.

So what are these blood types?

Blood typing, that is, knowing what your blood type is, is very important. Especially if you have to give blood to someone, this helps you do it safely and without any mistakes. We have red blood cells, and on the top, that is, the surface, there are little markers. In medicine, we call these markers ' antigens ' . These are actually proteins and sugars in our body. Our body uses these markers to recognize 'this is my own blood cell'. There are two main blood typing systems. They are the ABO system and the Rh system .

What is ABO blood type?

There are four main blood types according to the ABO system. Let's see what they are:

• Type A: This blood type has the antigen called 'A'.
• Type B: This blood type has the antigen called 'B'.
• Type AB: As the name suggests, this blood type has both 'A' and 'B' antigens.
• Type O: This blood type does not have either of the previously mentioned 'A' or 'B' antigens.

So what is this Rh factor?

In addition to the ABO system, blood is further classified as 'Rh positive' (meaning it has the Rh factor) or 'Rh negative' (meaning it does not have the Rh factor). Rh is another special protein that can be found on the surface of red blood cells, which is another ``Antigen''. So, when these two systems called ABO and Rh are combined, we get 8 main blood types. Let's see what they are:

• O negative:This blood type has no A or B markers, and no Rh factor.
• O positive: This blood type does not have the A or B markers, but does have the Rh factor. O positive is a very common blood type in Sri Lanka (the other common blood type is A positive).
• A negative: This blood type has only the A marker, no Rh factor.
• A positive: This blood type has both the A marker and the Rh factor, but no B marker. This is also a very common blood type, like O positive.
• B negative: This blood type only has the B marker, no Rh factor.
• B positive: This blood type has both the B marker and the Rh factor, but no A marker.
• AB negative: This blood type has both A and B markers, but no Rh factor.
• AB positive: This blood type has all three of the aforementioned markers – that is, A, B, and the Rh factor.

Now you may be thinking, 'Oh, isn't my blood type better than his or hers, or is mine weaker?' There is no such thing! Having or losing any of these antigens does not make a person's blood healthier or weaker. It's just like having green eyes instead of blue, or curly hair instead of straight, which is just a small genetic difference. So don't worry about it.

Why is it so important to know about these blood types?

Okay, now let's see why it's so important to know about these blood types, to match them. We have a very smart, amazing defense system in our body. We call it the immune system . It's like an army that protects a country. This system has the amazing ability to look at things that enter our body and recognize them as 'oh, this is my own body' (self) or 'this is a foreigner' (nonself). When you give someone blood, that is, when doctors do a blood transfusion, the immune system of the person who receives that blood has to recognize the new blood cells and say 'oh, these are my own type, they are suitable for me'. If it doesn't recognize such a match, that is, if the two blood types don't 'match', the new cells are rejected. Simply put, they attack and destroy those cells. Our smart defense system makes a special type of protein, we call them 'antibodies' . These are like sentinels. If foreign, incompatible cells enter the body, these antibodies immediately activate and begin working against those foreign cells. Depending on a person's blood type, their immune system produces antibodies that can fight off other, incompatible blood types.

What happens if you give the wrong blood type?That's when the problem arises. Those antibodies immediately start to work and destroy the new, incompatible blood cells that have entered the body. This can be a severe reaction that affects the whole body (Transfusion Reaction). There may be things like fever, chills, and a sudden drop in blood pressure. In some severe cases, even very important organs like the respiratory system (breathing) and kidneys may fail. That's why matching blood types accurately when donating blood is a matter of life and death.

Let's take a look at how blood types and antibodies work.

To explain this a little more, let's use an example. Think of it this way:

• Imagine that your blood type is A. Because your blood has the A antigen, your body produces B antibodies. Then, if blood with the B antigen (that is, type B or type AB) enters your body, your type A immune system will use those B antibodies to fight against the new blood cells. This means that you can only receive blood from someone who is type A or type O. You cannot receive blood from someone who is type B or AB.

• Similarly, if you have the B antigen in your blood (meaning your blood type is B ), your body will make A antibodies. Then you can only receive blood from someone with type B or type O. You cannot receive blood from someone with type A or AB.

How does this affect people with AB and O blood types?

This story is a little different for people with blood type AB and blood type O.

• Now imagine that if you have both A and B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells (that is, if your blood type is AB ), your body does not need to fight against any of the A or B antigens. Because both of those antigens recognize your body, saying, 'These are mine.' That means a person with AB blood type can receive blood from any blood type, A, B, AB, or O. In particular, people with AB positive blood type are called 'universal recipients' or ' universal recipients .'

• But, if your blood type is O , your red blood cells don't have either of those A or B antigens. What happens then?
• Your body produces both A and B antibodies. This causes your immune system to fight against blood types A, B, and AB. This means that a person with type O blood can only receive blood of type O.
• But there is something very important and special here. There is a blood type called O negative, which can be given to anyone! Because it does not have any antigens (antigens) such as A, B, or Rh. Therefore, no one's body will react to it. That is why O negative blood type is called the 'universal donor' or the universal donor.Especially in emergencies, when blood type cannot be determined quickly, O negative blood is often used.

Donating blood can save many lives!

Do you know that one of the most important and indispensable things that is done in hospitals and helps save many lives is giving blood, that is, blood transfusion. You would be surprised if you were told that somewhere in the world, someone needs blood every 2 seconds . People with chronic diseases like cancer patients, in surgeries, in accidents, need blood in this way. The most important thing is that blood is not something that can be made artificially, that is, in a lab. It only comes from another healthy, volunteer person. That is why people who donate blood are always needed.

Did you know that just one blood donation can save up to three lives? Yes, that's true. That's why donating blood is a very noble and valuable thing.

To keep the blood supply safe at all times, every blood donation is tested for blood type, as well as for infectious diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.

So, what are the most important things we want to take home from today's story?

Okay, let's now recall the most important points to keep in mind from all this talk:

• Not everyone's blood is the same. Our blood types are determined by special markers, called ``Antigens,'' on our red blood cells.
• There are two main blood type systems: the ABO system (the four types A, B, AB, and O) and the Rh system (positive or negative). These two combine to form the 8 blood types.
• Blood type matching is a must when donating blood. Giving the wrong blood type can cause severe, even life-threatening, reactions.
• O negative blood can be given to anyone (Universal Donor). AB positive blood can be received from anyone (Universal Recipient). This is worth remembering.
• Blood type is just a genetic variation, like eye color or hair texture. It doesn't make your health better or worse.
• Donating blood can save lives. If you are able to, and if you meet the qualifications, donate blood. It is a very valuable and noble thing you can do.

So, I hope you now have a good understanding and a clear idea about blood types. It is also very important to know what your blood type is. Maybe someday it will be helpful to you or someone you know. If you have any further questions about this, don't hesitate to ask your family doctor or a hospital.

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Blood Types, Blood Types, ABO, Rh Factor, Blood Donation, Blood Transfusion