What is the most universal blood type. Research: which blood type is considered the best: positive and negative sides. Group Determining Factors

Human blood groups have been known for a long time. The most common is the first group, the last, the fourth, is considered the most rare. The appearance of one or another blood type can be influenced by the parents of the unborn child and genetic predispositions. Already installed a long time ago dependence of human health on group affiliation, which allows you to determine which group is the best.

Erythrocytes, or red blood cells, carry specific antigens, which define a set of unique qualities of blood and plasma. The most popular group in the world is considered the first (indicated by 0) - about 50% of all inhabitants of the planet. The second group belongs to 40% of the population (denoted A).

The share of the third (B) and fourth (AB) accounts for 8% and 2%, respectively.

For each type of blood, there are two types of Rh factor: positive (+) and negative (-).

A positive Rh is a sign of the presence of a special protein in the blood, so there are 8 types of blood in total.

Interestingly, a positive Rh factor is observed in 80% of people, and at the birth of a child, the maternal blood type and Rh are inherited.

Different combinations of proteins and genes in erythrocytes determine the advantages of one type of blood over others, increase the body's immunity and reduce the predisposition to chronic diseases.

Donation and compatibility

When transfusing blood and plasma, the compatibility of the group and Rh of the donor and recipient must be taken into account.

Ask your question to the doctor of clinical laboratory diagnostics

Anna Poniaeva. She graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod Medical Academy (2007-2014) and residency in clinical laboratory diagnostics (2014-2016).

Mismatch causes rejection of blood cells and severe consequences for the patient.

In this regard, the first group was recognized as the best. Her red blood cells do not contain any antigens in the composition, so she is suitable for transfusion to everyone with the same Rh factor. Together with its wide distribution, this makes it universal. The first positive group is always in excess in all blood banks.

There are 4 categories in total. A certain blood type is laid down in a child in the womb. It all depends on the particular pair of genes that is passed down from the parents. It depends on the parents what type of blood each child will have individually. For example, mom has the 1st, and dad has the 2nd or 3rd. In this case, the 2nd or 3rd genes will dominate over the 1st genes. Since the dominant ones crowd out the recessive ones, there is only a tiny chance that the child will have exactly the 1st.

What is this

A blood group is a manifestation of various variants of a certain gene, which is located on the 9th pair of chromosomes. The following system is used for designation:

This is a generally accepted system designed to enable scientists from different countries to understand each other without the need for translation. The formation of a pair of these genes determines which blood type a person will have. The first two variants are called dominant genes, and the last one is recessive. That is, a person according to this trait can be a hetero- or homozygous individual.

Is it possible to single out the best

More than half of the world's population have the 1st and 2nd. Therefore, with a significant loss of blood, problems with transfusion do not arise. The rarest is the 4th. In the case of an urgent transfusion, finding the right donor is extremely difficult.

How are donor and recipient selected? It is believed that a person with the 1st group is a universal donor, and with the 4th - a universal recipient. But this is not entirely true. In order to avoid rejection, a complete match in all indicators is necessary. Now, only in very extreme cases, they can transfuse up to 200 ml of the 1st blood group to the recipient.

What the blood type will be does not depend on nationality or other characteristics. They do not affect any qualities of people, dispositions or skills, or what kind of life a person will have in the future. Therefore, such concepts as “good” or “bad” do not exist in this context. Each of them is unique and necessary. The only thing that can be distinguished is the predisposition to diseases and the peculiarities of the digestive system.

Viral and any other infectious diseases affect much less often carriers of the first and second blood groups. However, they may be susceptible to other more dangerous serious diseases. Owners of different blood groups have a different diet among themselves. Poor digestion of dairy and meat products is a hallmark, as a rule, of the owners of the third group. Little by little it becomes clear why people have problems with indigestion, nausea and weakness. Physical activity and an active lifestyle, accompanied by proper nutrition, will be excellent companions in the life of any owner, especially the first blood group.

But all these features depend not only on the circulatory system. Most often they are caused by environmental factors that have nothing to do with internal organs. Blood is, medically speaking, just a red liquid that delivers:

  • nutrients;
  • oxygen;
  • vitamins.

Today, in the world, human blood is classified according to the AB0 system, as well as the Rh factor. According to this classification, a person can be one of four groups:

  • the first is denoted by the number 0;
  • the second letter A;
  • the third letter B;
  • the fourth is a combination of their AB.

Moreover, each can have a positive or negative Rh factor. Accordingly, human blood can be divided into four groups or eight types. In this regard, the question often arises, which is the best.

Most often, the question of what kind of blood is the best arises when it comes to donation. That is, it is assumed that it is best to have a type that occurs most often. That is, the most common blood should be the best, but is it really so?

The most common worldwide, according to research, the first. About half of the inhabitants of the world have this type. The second one is in second place. Approximately forty percent of people have it. The fourth one is the least numerous. Only two percent of people have it, and the remaining eight are in the third. Thus, the most common option is the first or second group.

However, it is necessary to take into account not only the group, but also the Rh factor. Most people - about 85 percent, it is positive. By and large, it means that the Rh factor is present in the blood. The remaining 15 percent do not have it, that is, we are talking about the fact that the Rh factor is negative. From this, many conclude that the best blood is the first positive, since it is the easiest to find, and the worst is the fourth negative.

The first group can also be attributed to the universal. It is believed that in donation it can be used for any person, since it lacks the A and B antigens. Accordingly, the recipient's body will not perceive the blood as something alien. Therefore, the first group is considered one of the best for donation. Since everyone can transfuse it, it means that almost anyone can be saved with it.

But, despite the fact that this group is very popular, its owners can only be transfused with the same first group. At the same time, the fourth group, which is not the most popular, is able to accept any type, due to the absence of antibodies to antigens A and B in the plasma.

Transfusion Basics

It must be understood that in the modern medical world it is forbidden to transfuse, unless absolutely necessary, blood that differs from the recipient group. Under a complete ban is a blood transfusion with an excellent Rh factor. Ideally, you need to transfuse the same type that the recipient has.

The Rh factor in donation is an important indicator that passes to children by inheritance. It is located in the components of the blood, various organs, amniotic fluid. When a person with a negative Rh factor is transfused with a positive type, the body begins to produce specific antibodies. We can say that the body is protected from something alien.

Often a different Rh factor of parents becomes a problem for bearing a child. . Therefore, pregnant women with a negative Rh, in the presence of a positive husband, are examined more carefully.


You can be sure that if not the first, then the second transfusion can be fatal for a person with a different Rhesus from the transfused blood. It is also worth emphasizing that in people with a positive Rh, it can be of several types or one. That is, you can see a combination of different types, which is also important to consider when transfusing. Therefore, it is important to determine what kind of blood the recipient has and what kind of blood the person who donated the material for donation has.

In most cases, modern physicians distinguish six antigens in the Rh factors of the two systems. In humans, the presence of both systems or only one can be distinguished.

At the moment, almost three dozen combinations are distinguished in laboratory studies. Before performing a transfusion, the presence of Rh is established, as well as an analysis for Rh compatibility. Returning to the question of the best type, doctors note that this by and large does not exist. The fact is that rare phenotypes do not speak of their special demand, because with the rarity of the phenotype, we can say that it will be useful to a smaller number of people.

Transfusion specialists are sure that it is wrong to consider rare groups as bad. Every day the need of clinics for certain components and blood of a particular group changes. Therefore, a situation often occurs in which the rarest on this day is the most common. Why do doctors call for donation of all healthy people, regardless of their group and Rh affiliation.

There are many classifications that divide blood into groups. All of them are designed with different antigens and antibodies in mind - small particles that are either attached to the membrane of red blood cells or float freely in the plasma.

The first experiments on blood transfusion most often ended in the death of the patient. The thing is that then people did not have the slightest idea about blood types. To date, the most common classifications are the AB0 system and the Rh factor system.

According to the AB0 system, blood is classified as follows:

  • 0 - first;
  • A - the second;
  • B - the third;
  • AB is the fourth.

What determines the rarity of a blood type?

The rarity of blood types, like many other features of our body, depends on natural selection. The fact is that throughout the two-million-year history of mankind, people had to adapt to new conditions of existence.

The climate changed, new diseases appeared, and our blood developed with them. The oldest and most common group is the first. Scientists believe that it was she who was the original, and all the groups known today went from her.

Rare groups appeared much later, so they are not so common in the population.

Which group is the least common?

In the world, the 4th negative blood type is the leader in rarity. Despite popular belief, 4 positive is about 3 times more common. There are more people with it than the owners of blood of the 3rd negative group.

Why is group 4 the least common?

The fact is that its very appearance can be considered a peculiar phenomenon. It combines the properties of two opposite types of blood - A and B.

People with blood group 4 have a strong immune system that easily adapts to environmental conditions. By the standards of biology, this group is the most complex.

This type of blood appeared only a couple of thousand years ago. At the moment, it is the most demanded at any blood transfusion station, since there are still not so many of its carriers.


The youngest and rarest group is the fourth

What is the most common blood type?

The most common blood of the first group (or zero according to the AB0 classification). The second is a little less common.

The third and fourth are considered rare. The total percentage of their carriers in the world does not exceed 13-15.

The most common types (1 and 2) arose at the dawn of mankind. Their carriers are considered the most prone to allergies of various origins, autoimmune processes and other diseases. The blood of this type has changed little over hundreds of thousands of years, therefore it is considered the least adapted to modern conditions.

The percentage of blood types also determines the Rh factor. Positive is much more common than negative. Even 1 negative group, which is the leader among negative blood types, occurs in 7% of people.

The distribution of blood into groups also depends on race. In a person of the Mongoloid race, the blood will be positive for Rh in 99% of cases, while in Europeans, positive Rh is about 85%.

Europeans are the most common carriers of group 1, Africans are 2, among Asians 3 is the most common.

Blood types: percentage prevalence

As statistics show, different types of blood vary greatly in prevalence in the world. Type 0 people are easy to find, and type AB blood is unique in its own way.

The following table will help you finally understand which of the groups are the most common, and which are much less common:

Group and Rh factorHow common
0+ 40%
0- 7%
A+34%
A-6%
B+8%
V-1%
AB+3%
AB-1%

Who should donate blood?


Medical sources say that it is always preferable to transfuse a person with the blood of exactly the group of which he is a carrier. Therefore, it is very important that all types of blood are in the blood banks.

The main rule of blood transfusion is that people with positive negative blood can be transfused. If the opposite is done, the person who needs a transfusion will die. This is due to the biological characteristics of the antigen-antibody system.

Although 1 is considered rare, its uniqueness lies in the fact that in emergency cases such people can be transfused with any type of blood, provided that the Rh factors are compatible. At the same time, other types of blood are not so versatile.

Group AB can only be transfused to people with the same blood type.

No matter what kind of blood you have, by donating it for donation, you will help save a person's life. The most expensive and sought after blood is Rh negative. If you are one of the 15% of people who carry it, be sure to consider the possibility of becoming a donor. Periodic blood donation is not only charity, but also a way to improve the functional state of your hematopoietic system.

Video: The rarest blood type

Trying to figure out which blood type is the best, they try to focus on compatibility and wide opportunities for transfusion. The theory of determining the propensity to diseases, the main character traits, based on the study of blood groups, allows us to evaluate a number of their conditional "merits" and "disadvantages". Regardless of group affiliation, it is important to understand that this is an innate feature of blood cells that remains unchanged.

Basic concepts of blood group and Rh factor

The blood group is called genetically determined antigenic characteristics of erythrocytes, which remain unchanged throughout life. On red blood cells, there can be two forms of agglutinogens - A and B. There are several antigens to them in the plasma - alpha (anti-A) and beta (anti-B).

Due to their different combinations, people have these types of blood:

  1. First (I) or O. Agglutinogens and antibodies are completely absent.
  2. The second (II) or A. There are type A agglutinogens, in plasma - only beta antigens.
  3. Third (III) or B. Type B agglutinogens are determined, alpha antigens in the blood.
  4. Fourth (IV) or AB. On erythrocytes - agglutinogens of types A and B, there are no antigens in the blood.

Important! For diagnosis, an express test is performed to identify combinations of antibodies and agglutinogen. The technique is quite simple to implement and inexpensive.

Rh factors (Rh) reflect the presence (Rh - positive, Rh+) ​​and absence (Rh - negative, Rh-) of specific antigen proteins on erythrocytes. In accordance with the Rh affiliation, all groups are negative and positive. Therefore, in some medical sources, one can find mention of the existence of 8 types of antigenic composition of erythrocytes. It should be remembered that Rh incompatibility leads to the development of a conflict that is dangerous to human life. Increased attention should be paid to pregnant women with a negative Rh factor, since they may have a conflict with an Rh-positive child (if he did not inherit the mother's Rh).

Compatibility between groups

About 80% of the world's population are owners of groups I and II. They are considered the most common. As a rule, there are no problems with finding donors. The remaining groups are less common, which significantly complicates the selection of blood in case of need for transfusions.

Compatibility is determined by the presence or absence of antigens on erythrocytes.

Based on this, there are the following compatibility features:

  • I - universal for donation. Any people are allowed to transfuse the first group, taking into account the Rh factors. It is important to remember that persons with group I can only be transfused with the same blood;
  • II - such patients are allowed to transfuse only groups I and II. Such blood is suitable for transfusions to persons with the second and fourth groups;
  • III - groups I and III are suitable for such people. This group can be transfused to persons with groups III and IV;
  • IV - universal recipients. Persons with such blood are allowed to transfuse all types. Such blood is categorically not suitable for other groups.

By analyzing the features, you can determine which blood is optimal for donation. This group is the first. The fourth is considered good, because any blood for transfusion is suitable for it if necessary.

Other group features

People with different types of antigenic structure should choose the right sports activities. For representatives of the first two types, active power loads, running, visiting the gym, playing with the ball are suitable. For the other two, they are more relaxed, like Pilates, yoga, meditation, stretching, etc.

Nutrition according to the structural features of erythrocytes has its advantages, since its principles are based on the study of the differences in the organisms of people with different group affiliations. Persons of the first three types are advised to limit the intake of hard-to-digest heavy foods, meat, animal fats, since their digestive system is more vulnerable. It is important to enrich their diet with foods that are easily digested, do not lead to the formation of excess body fat, and contribute to the natural cleansing of the intestines.

Other features are:

  1. First. People with this type are highly stable mentality. They are considered very sociable, purposeful, have an active lifestyle. They often suffer from respiratory diseases. Prone to skin and cardiovascular pathologies. Such people are frequent patients of the gastroenterologist and urologist. Platelets show reduced activity, as a result of which frequent bleeding is possible.
  2. Second. Such persons are very susceptible to stress, often face depression. At the same time, they are stubborn, have a clear life position and principles. For them, the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine systems are vulnerable. Among the representatives there are many overweight people and bad habits.
  3. Third. Such people are prone to neuropsychiatric disorders of varying degrees. However, they are quite cheerful, have a good-natured and caring character. They are more likely than others to be diagnosed with infections of the urinary system, pathologies of the pancreas, Parkinson's disease, arterial hypertension. They are less likely to experience heart disease.
  4. Fourth. They are fickle people, moderately strict, cautious. Such patients are considered very resistant to genitourinary, skin and respiratory diseases - influenza, SARS, colds. More often than others, they suffer from hypertension, atherosclerosis, liver pathologies, and diseases of the circulatory system. Platelets are highly active, as a result of which the blood coagulates faster. Therefore, such patients are often diagnosed with thrombophlebitis, thrombosis of blood vessels.