6 questions about blood groups

In the collective consciousness, the blood group is important in the case of blood transfusion and confirmation of paternity. In Japan, they think that it even determines the character of man!

Affiliation to a blood group depends on the presence or absence of A and / or / B on the surface of red blood cells. There are 4 groups - A, B, AB and 0. To these categories should be added the rhesus system characteristic of the presence or absence of antigen D - the rhesus factor is positive if it is available and negative in the opposite case.

Question # 1: Who can I give blood to and who can I get from? Different blood groups are not always compatible with each other due to their antigenic characteristics. Each of us has antibodies that circulate in the plasma and are directed against antigens it does not have.In a human blood group A, the antibodies are directed against antigen B, and in group 0 the antibodies are directed against antigens A and B. Incompatibility also applies to the rhesus factor. As a result, some people can get blood from everyone else, and others - only from people with the same blood type. Everyone can be a donor to a person in his blood group and receive blood from him.Those belonging to blood group 0 are universal donors because they do not have any antigens. These people, however, are not many and their donation can not satisfy all those in need. People with the AB group take blood from everyone else, but they can only give their blood group, that is, a small percentage of the world's population.

Q2: Is my blood group rarely found? The blood group to which fewer than 1 in 250 people worldwide belongs is rare. There are people who do not belong either to A, to B, to AB and neither to 0 - their blood group is called "Bombay" and is characteristic of 1 person per 1 million people in Europe. They can be donors and receive blood only in people with the same group. At the dawn of mankind, all people were from group 0. Even today it is the most widely represented.
Blood Group A originated 20,000 years before Christ and is central to the population of Central Europe and Scandinavia. Blood Group C appears 10,000 years later on the Asian continent and in Japan. Group AB is the result of mixing different populations and is less common - only 5% of people in the world. The distribution of blood groups depends on the ethnic groups and their geographic location.

Japanese interpretations In Japan, they are firmly convinced that belonging to a certain blood gurp is essential to the character - they think the people from the A group are honest and creative, from B - enterprising and enthusiastic, from AB - calm and smiling, from 0 - sociable and pleasant .

Blood donation also raises many questions. Here are the five most important of them:

3. Do I need a doctor consultation before donating blood? Yes. Talking with the doctor and clinical examination are done before blood donation. The doctor measures blood pressure, checks for contraindications and gives advice - drinking lots of water after taking blood, not taking risky sports and avoiding smoking.

4. How long does it take to give blood? Provide 30 minutes for doctor consultation, blood collection (8-10 minutes) and rest afterwards.

5. Can I become a blood donor at any age? No. Minors do not donate blood, and after 60 years, the consent of a doctor is required. Blood donation affects people between 18 and 70 years of age.

6. Who can not give blood? People weighing less than 50 kilograms, men who have homosexual relationships, pregnant women, grafted people, diabetics, epileptics. In addition, blood is not given 24 hours after caries treatment, four months after piercing, tattoos and stays in tropical countries, and so on. 5. How often can I give blood? Men can donate blood 6 times a year, women - 4 times. There must be at least 8 weeks between two blood donations.