Blood typing is the laboratory testing process that helps individuals determine their blood type. It is done so they can safely receive blood from donations or donate blood themselves. The different blood types are determined by the kind of antigens one’s blood cells have on the surface. If one is set to receive a blood transfusion, the first thing to be determined is one’s blood type. It is essential that the donor and receiver’s blood belongs to the same category as receiving incompatible blood can cause a potentially harmful immune response. However, some people may safely receive blood donations from individuals whose blood types are not the same as theirs. So long as the blood they receive does not contain antigens that their immune system will mark as foreign.
Here are the four blood groups according to the ABO blood typing system:
- Type A (blood type that contains A antigen)
- Type B (blood type that contains B antigen)
- Type AB (blood type that contains A and B antigen)
- Type O (blood type that contains A nor B antigen)
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