AB Blood Type (2024)

FAQs

Why is AB negative so rare? ›

Why is AB blood group rare? In fact, people with blood type AB are rare and special because they have both A and B antigens on the surface of red blood cells, but no antibodies in the plasma.

People with type AB+ blood are universal recipients because they have no antibodies to A, B or Rh in their blood and can receive red blood cells from a donor of any blood type. Plasma transfusions are matched to avoid A and B antibodies in the transfused plasma that will attack the recipient's red blood cells.

AB positive blood type is known as the “universal recipient” because AB positive patients can receive red blood cells from all blood types.

Donors who are AB- are the universal plasma donor because this component can be transfused into any patient, regardless of the recipient's blood type. Your platelets and plasma are the most powerful parts of your AB- blood.

Of the eight main blood types, people with Type O have the lowest risk for heart attacks and blood clots in the legs and lungs. This may be because people with other blood types have higher levels of certain clotting factors, which are proteins that cause blood to coagulate (solidify).

Of the eight main blood types, AB- is the least common, but the rarest type of all is Rhnull, where a person has no Rh antibodies in their blood. Having a rare blood type makes it more difficult for a person to receive a blood transfusion.

A, B, AB and O blood types.

“Type O blood seems to be a mosquitoes' preferred blood type as compared to A, B and AB, but the only significant difference was when it was compared to Type A,” says Ulysses Wu, MD, Hartford HealthCare's chief epidemiologist and medical director of infectious disease.

Those with AB+ blood can accept blood from all donors and are called universal recipients. Slightly lower risk of thrombosis, blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.

Is AB+ very rare? ›

How rare is AB positive blood? Just 2% of donors have AB positive blood making it one of the rarest blood types in the country.

Less than 10 percent of people have type AB, which comes with a higher risk of heart disease. People with type AB blood are also more likely to develop memory problems, such as dementia, while type O has the lowest risk of the condition.

Blood type AB is spread pretty evenly among all races and ethnicities. Asian Americans are slightly more likely to have AB blood type than other ethnicities, according to the ADRP.

Brain Function and Memory Loss. The ABO gene is connected with brain function and memory loss. People who have blood types A, B, and AB are up to 82 percent more likely to develop cognition and memory problems — which can lead to dementia — compared to those with Type O.

Donors with blood type AB... can donate to recipients with blood type AB only. Donors with blood type O... can donate to recipients with blood types A, B, AB and O (O is the universal donor: donors with O blood are compatible with any other blood type)

Share: The rarest blood type in the United States, using the ABO and Rh classification groups, is AB negative, found in just 1% of the population.

People with AB blood type should eat more vegetarian and dairy products because you are a mixture of A and B. Yet, you have weaker immune system than others. The recommended diets for weight loss are: Eat various meats, such as goat, lamb, deer, rabbit, tuna, grouper, and sardines. Stay away from white fish and salmon.