Blood: What’s Your Type?

Blood: What’s Your Type?

Blood: What’s Your Type?

All adults and children are familiar with the term ‘blood’, but not everyone knows about the specifics of this amazing substance running through our bodies. In this video, we’ll examine more in-depth what blood is and the different types, how it impacts your health and disease susceptibility, and how different blood types evolved in the first place, especially among different ethnicities.

This video was made by McMaster University students Aqeel Mansuri, Lael Mattam, Hadi Khan, and Hadia Malik in collaboration with the Demystifying Medicine McMaster Program.

Please note that this video was made solely for educational purposes. Please consult a healthcare professional for information about your health.

We would like to thank Dr. Takuma Isshiki for reviewing the content of this video and providing valuable feedback.

#bloodborne #bloodtype #bloodgroup #blooddonor #bloodrecipient #transfusion #disease

Copyright McMaster University 2023.

References:
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BioMed Research International, 2021, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6629060

The American National Red Cross. (2023). Blood types. Explained - A, B, AB and O | Red Cross Blood Services. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-…

Association for the Advancement of Blood \u0026 Biotherapies. (2023). Highlights of transfusion
medicine history. aabb.org. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.aabb.org/news-resources/r…

Canadian Blood Services. (2022). What is my blood type? Blood types. Retrieved February 12,
2023, from https://www.blood.ca/en/blood/donatin…

Cleveland Clinic. (2023). Antigen: What it is, function, types, \u0026 testing. Cleveland Clinic.
Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health…

Cleveland Clinic. (2023). Rhesus (rh) factor: Incompatibility, Complications \u0026 Pregnancy.
Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health…

Costumbrado, J., Mansour, T., \u0026 Ghassemzadeh, S. (2022). Rh Incompatibility. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK…

Ewald, D. R., \u0026 Sumner, S. C. J. (2016). Blood type biochemistry and human disease. WIREs

Systems Biology and Medicine, 8(6), 517–535. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsbm.1355

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Content

0.438 -> Hello everyone! Today we’ll be talking about the different blood types,
4.5 -> more specifically, what they are, what they mean for our health,
8.9 -> and possible theories as to how humans have evolved
12.146 -> to possess different blood types in the first place.
14.74 -> To start, what is blood?
17.295 -> Briefly, blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells,
21.092 -> platelets, and plasma, the liquid portion of your blood.
24.803 -> Flowing through your arteries and veins,
27.185 -> the primary role of blood among many others is to
30.249 -> transport nutrients, hormones, and oxygen throughout the body
33.912 -> while removing waste products like carbon dioxide.
38.123 -> If blood has the same functions in all of us, then how exactly are there different types?
42.671 -> Well,
43.536 -> blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of 2 main factors
48.826 -> those being the type of antigen and the Rhesus or Rh factor.
53.443 -> Antigens are protein molecules found on the surface of red blood cells.
57.435 -> They trigger immune responses within the body,
60.107 -> leading to the creation of antibodies to attack foreign items like viruses or bacteria.
65.342 -> There are two possible types of antigens on your red blood cells: "A" and "B".
70.334 -> A person can be blood type "A", in which they only have the "A" antigen on their red blood cells,
75.756 -> blood type "B" only containing the "B" antigen,
79.256 -> type "AB" possessing both types of antigens,
82.631 -> and type "O", in which they have neither "A" or "B" antigens on their red blood cells,
88.092 -> but both are found in the plasma instead.
90.865 -> Blood types are most important during transfusions
93.693 -> as blood must be matched to the patient's type (we’ll explain this more later).
98.357 -> The Rhesus or Rh factor is also a protein found on the surface of red blood cells.
103.787 -> If your blood cells have the Rh factor, then you’re classified as positive
107.818 -> and if they don’t, then you’re classified as negative.
110.928 -> Therefore, there are a total of 8 major blood types a person can be
115.615 -> including, "A" positive, "A" negative
118.295 -> "B" positive, "B" negative
120.654 -> "AB" positive, "AB" negative
123.162 -> or "O" positive and "O" negative
129.605 -> Similar to detecting viruses and bacteria,
132.66 -> our immune systems can tell apart our own blood cells from one another.
136.545 -> If the blood a patient receives is not compatible with their own blood type antigen,
140.943 -> then serious consequences can occur including death.
144.92 -> The immune system will attack the incompatible blood cells,
147.998 -> producing antibodies to destroy the foreign antigens on the donor's blood,
151.74 -> causing them to swell and eventually burst.
154.232 -> Although rare due to medical standards,
156.81 -> symptoms of incompatible transfusion may include
159.841 -> back pain, bloody urine, chills, anemia, kidney failure, or even full body shock.
165.373 -> Ultimately your blood type determines who you can donate blood to
168.967 -> and whose blood you can receive.
170.99 -> This is an image of all the possible donor-recipient combinations.
174.975 -> Feel free to pause the video.
177.732 -> Certain blood types are in extremely high demand for emergency situations.
181.795 -> An example of this is type "O" negative which is known as the universal donor
186.575 -> since it has no "A", "B", or Rh antigens
189.584 -> and is unable to trigger the immune system in any patient despite their blood type.
194.818 -> Rh factor compatibility must also be taken into heavy consideration,
199.341 -> especially for pregnancies.
201.247 -> A phenomenon called Rh sensitization may occur
204.959 -> where if the bloods of an Rh negative mother
207.607 -> carrying an Rh postive fetus (or vice versa) mix...
211.506 -> the mother’s immune system will produce antibodies that will attack the fetus’s blood cells,
216.529 -> potentially resulting in the death of the fetus.
219.56 -> Apart from transfusions, why else do blood types matter?
223.045 -> Current research suggests interesting correlations between certain blood types and disease incidence.
227.912 -> The "A" and "B" antigens on red blood cell surfaces
230.796 -> act as receptors for viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other adhesion molecules
235.592 -> therefore, possessing "A" or "B" antigens
238.294 -> could facilitate easier entry of pathogens.
241.896 -> For example,
243.178 -> those in non-"O" blood groups
245.412 -> have a greater risk for dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment.
248.815 -> The blood group was also associated with
251.093 -> a higher risk for hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
255.412 -> People with "A" blood types have higher incidences of certain cancers
258.85 -> compared to non-"A" blood type individuals.
261.849 -> The reason is that “A” blood types have antigens that are extremely similar
266.733 -> to those possessed by many types of cancers or tumours.
269.873 -> So when tumours begin to grow,
271.568 -> the body doesn’t recognize the tumour antigens as “foreign”
275.008 -> therefore, no immune response is initiated
278.076 -> and the cancer can metastasize.
280.928 -> And finally, the actual shape and structure of the antigens themselves
284.873 -> play a role in acquiring pathogens.
286.998 -> For example,
288.037 -> the "A" and "B" antigens contain 2 unique sugar molecules in their structure
292.513 -> which act as important requisites for the entry of malaria,
296.129 -> thus making individuals with "A" and "B" antigens
298.811 -> more susceptible to malaria than blood type "O" individuals.
303.123 -> Despite these common trends,
304.843 -> it is important to note that having certain blood types
307.247 -> does not in any way guarantee you will develop a certain health condition.
311.578 -> It only indicates susceptibility.
314.414 -> There are a multitude of other factors involved in disease manifestation
318.021 -> which should be addressed and further discussed with your healthcare provider.
324.029 -> Much like eye or hair color,
325.63 -> blood types are inherited genetically from your parents.
328.326 -> This image shows all the different possibilities in blood type inheritance.
333.076 -> For example in column 1, if both parents are blood type "AB"
337.334 -> then the child may be blood type "A", type "B", or type "AB".
341.201 -> It is believed that the different antigens found in blood types
343.88 -> have evolved to respond to the exposure of different types of pathogens,
348.451 -> like viruses and bacteria.
350.982 -> Although some blood types and their antigens developed through genetic mutations,
354.621 -> the main factors that contributed to their evolutionary success
357.709 -> were likely exposure to environmental pressures
360.099 -> such as the ability to fight disease.
362.357 -> Some blood types survived infections and outlived their rivals.
365.899 -> In a way, it was "survival of the fittest blood".
369.865 -> The most common theory suggesting the formation of blood groups
373.491 -> is that the first blood group was "AB"
375.772 -> which gradually evolved into the "A", "B", and "O" groups
379.123 -> due to multiple genetic mutations that have occurred over the years.
382.756 -> Researchers believe the mutations leading to the eventual formation of type "O" blood
387.687 -> occured as an evolutionary advantage
389.915 -> because type "O" is the most resistant against many infectious diseases.
394.334 -> Having a wide variety of blood types is
396.468 -> beneficial as it can help prevent individuals
398.932 -> from becoming susceptible to certain diseases
401.053 -> and can decrease the likelihood of disease transmission through transfusion,
405.185 -> thereby increasing the likelihood of survival for the overall population.
410.834 -> Different ethnic populations also have varying blood types.
414.214 -> This can be due to factors such as migration patterns,
418.663 -> cultural practices, and geography.
421.193 -> The distribution of blood types can be influenced by geography,
424.521 -> as certain blood types may be advantageous in areas
427.435 -> where there are prevalent infectious diseases.
430.201 -> Additionally, regions with significant mixing and migration
434.107 -> are more likely to have diverse blood types
436.584 -> than areas with limited gene flow.
441.388 -> Along with natural selection processes driven by factors like
445.005 -> temperature, humidity or even altitude
447.714 -> may have played a role as populations adjusted to the environment around them.
452.912 -> Therefore, we have learned about the different blood types,
455.951 -> their medical significance,
457.349 -> and a little bit about how they evolved to be in humans.
460.656 -> So, the next time you go to get blood drawn or decide to donate
464.273 -> some of this liquid gold,
465.805 -> remember the diverse, life-saving ability of your tiny blood cells!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OiGAzhTo8