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Blood Types

All human blood may look alike, but differences become apparent when it is tested using special agents. There are eight common red blood cell types, which are determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens (chemical substances that can be targeted by one's immune system).

The main red blood cell groups are A, B, AB, and O

  • Group A blood has only the A antigen
  • Group B has the only the B antigen
  • Group AB has both
  • Group O has neither

Blood Types:

O-, O+

Patients with any blood type can receive O negative blood. Type O blood is required and must be available in inventory for newborn babies and emergency patients. O+ is the most frequently occurring blood type and is found in 37 percent of the population. O- is found in six percent of the population.

A+

This blood is the second most frequently occurring blood type. Thirty-four of every 100 people have A+.

A-, B+, B-

Less than 10 percent of the population has these rare blood types.

AB+, AB-

These blood types are the universal donor of plasma. Patients with any blood type can receive this plasma. Only four percent of the population has AB+ and just one in every hundred people have AB-.
 

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MemorialCare Health System is a not-for-profit integrated-delivery system which includes Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente. Our community-based hospitals are located in Southern California in both Los Angeles County and Orange County. Copyright © 1999 - 2009, Memorial Health Services. All rights reserved.