Explaining Different Blood Types

As we learned in grade school there are four blood types, A, B, O, and AB, with each having an RH factor positive or negative. There are many other alleles attached to blood typing but what is listed above is what the average person knows about their blood. Type A has alleles only for A, type B has alleles for B, but O has alleles for both A and B and AB has no alleles for A or B.

The distribution of the different types of blood in the United States O+ 39 percent, A+ 35 percent, B+ 7 percent and AB+ 3 percent with the RH factor negative following the same pattern but in much smaller numbers. Type O is the universal donor and AB the universal recipient. Type O- is the purest blood while AB+ is the least pure. Meaning that O- can only accept a transfusion from another O- and AB+ can accept blood from anyone.

In Eastern Europe type B becomes more common and as one moves towards Asia it becomes even more so. Southeast Asia and Japan have the largest populations with type B blood. Worldwide type B is the rarest with only 16 percent of the world population.
In the 1930s, German scientist concluded that those with type B were closer to animals than people. To counter that, the Japanese have assigned personality traits to different blood types.

South America has almost exclusively type O except for Peruvian Indians also have type A. Blackfeet Indians have type A, while all other Native Americans have O.

Looking a map with the distribution of the different blood types using color to signify the different types has South America and a good part of the United States one color, with Western Europe close to the same. Where the differences are really noticeable is starting the Eastern Europe and on the Asia and Africa.

Learn more about this author, Lynn Hancock.
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