Are you my type?

Have you ever wondered what makes you have a certain blood type and what blood types are most compatible with yours? Here's a quick overview of what determines your blood type and a chart listing what types are compatible to yours and what type of donation is best for your type.

The Basics

Blood type is categorized according to the ABO system.

Red blood cells can have the antigens "A" or "B" attached to them. If you have the protein "A" attached to your red blood cell, you are blood type A. If you have the protein "B" attached to your red blood cell, you are blood type B. If you have both the "A" protein and "B" protein attached to your red blood cell, you are type AB. If you have no proteins attached to your red blood cell, you are type O.

You also may have Rh antigens on the surface of your red cells. If you do, that makes your blood type "positive" (+). If these antigens aren't present, your blood type is negative (-).

 

Percentage of Blood Type Groupings in an Average 100 Citizens of the U.S.

		Blood Type		RH+		RH-
45%	will be	O	of which	38.5	and	6.5
40%	will be	A	of which	34.3	and	5.7
10%	will be	B	of which	8.6	and	1.4
5%	will be	AB	of which	4.3	and	.7

Compatibility Chart for Red Cell Transfusion

Patients's Blood Type Is:	Patient* May Receive Type:
A+	A+, A-, O+, O-
A-	A-, O-
B+	B+, B-, O+, O-
B-	B-, O-
AB+	AB+, AB-, A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-
AB-	AB-, A-, B-, 0-
O+	O+, O-
O-	O-

Click here to find out what type of donation is best for your blood type.