Giving your blood is giving someone a chance to live. Indeed, blood donation can treat nearly a million patients each year. And because there is still no treatment that can replace human blood, the demand for donated blood in hospitals is still high. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 liters of blood are used every day. Universal donors, blood type O is considered special. Explanations.
The type O negative, represents about 7% of the world population and 6% of French people. Rare, they are the only universal donors and are thus very coveted. We explain why!
People of the O negative blood type are unique
According to the medicaldaily website, people in the O blood type would be protected from cognitive decline via gray matter. Indeed, studies led by researchers Matteo De Marco and Annalena Vanneri from the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield stated that people of the blood type A, B, or AB had smaller volumes of gray matter at temporal and limbic regions of the brain, known to be one of the first parts of the brain affected by Alzheimer's disease. Thus, people of blood type O are considered special and their blood is extremely valuable. But why ?
In the first place, it seems that people of this blood type benefit from certain particular personality traits. These would play a very important role in any society. In addition, leadership, energy, and the ability to remain focused would be the hallmarks of people in type O. In Japan, some companies even ask for the blood type of candidates in interviews, favoring those in type O because they would more responsible, engaged, and organized.
The blood type is a designation of two sets of proteins, called antigens, on the outside of red blood cells. The first set being of type A, B, or O and the second set of type Rh (positive or negative).
According to the explanations of the Red Cross: "type A contains only the A antigen outside the red blood cells (and the B antibody in the plasma). type B has only B antigen outside the red blood cells (and the A antibody in the plasma). type AB has antigens A and B outside red blood cells (but neither antibody A nor antibody B in plasma). type O has no antigens A or B outside the red blood cells (but antibodies A and B in the plasma. "
In fact, this means that type A can give blood to types A and B, type B to type B and AB, type AB only to people in the same type, but can also receive red blood cells from all the others .
As for type O, since it has no antigens outside the red blood cells, the immune system of the recipient will not react. In addition, Rh negative blood does not contain Rh antigen located outside the blood cells, which means, again, that there are no proteins against which the immune system would defend itself. Therefore, type O negative blood can be transfused to patients of any blood type.
Universal donors, the people of the type O negative are therefore very rare. According to the American Red Cross, only 8% of people have this blood type in Caucasians. This percentage is even lower among African Americans (4%), and only 1% of the Asian population is of type O negative.
To conclude, the people in this type are rare and therefore special and unique. Nevertheless, whatever your type, think about giving your blood, it's a simple gesture that can make all the difference!
