It is Necessary to Test Blood Group Matching Before Blood Transfusion.
During blood transfusion, the blood groups of the donor and the recipient must match in order to avoid serious ill effects. Why is it so?? and What happens if blood group doesn't match properly??
We all know that blood is transmitted from one person to another if a person is met with an accident or injury, or he / she may undergo any surgery or if a person is critically ill due to any disease or anemia, hemorrhage etc. But, before blood transmission, the two-blood groups must be matched in a right way. There are 36 blood group systems in total that contains 346 antigens present in them. Out of 36, the medical field has 4 important blood groups based on the ABO blood group system and Rh factor.
Blood groups based on ABO system includes A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+ and O-. In each blood group, there is a presence of an antigen and an antibody.
Antigen and Antibody
Both antigen and antibody play an important role in the functioning of a person's immune system. Antigens are present naturally inside the body and are also available in the external environment. They invade the human body in the form of viruses and bacteria. This type of antigen is called as Exoantigens. The main function of an antigen is to trigger the antibodies present in the body. Antigens are also known as Immunogens. These antigens are a combination of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. Antigens are responsible for causing a disease and they themself trigger an immune response against them.
An Antibody is a type of Glycoprotein which is responsible for fighting against harmful foreign substances and disease-causing antigens. Antibodies protect the body by producing an immune response to defeat antigens. Antibodies are also known as Immunoglobulins. These are responsible for protecting the human body and boosts the immune system.
The above table shows the presence of antigen and antibody in each blood group and the list of blood groups compatible for transfusion.
A blood type can donate blood to A and AB type. It can receive blood from A and O type. B blood type can donate blood to B and AB type. It can receive blood from B and O type. AB blood type can donate blood to AB but receives blood from A, B, AB and O. AB blood type is said to be as Universal recipient. O blood type can donate blood to A, B, AB and O but receives blood only from O type. This O type is said to be as Universal donor.
Why is Blood group Compatibility Test done?
Based on the ABO blood group system, blood can be transfused only between specified blood groups. If mismatching of blood group occurs, then antibody in the receiver's blood attacks the antigens causing the red blood cells to clump together which may be fatal to the patient.
To avoid such consequences, blood group matching is essential before blood transfusion.
Hope you find this information useful!
Stay tuned for the next informative article👍👋
There are many reasons why it is important to know the blood group of a person before he / she undergoes any surgery or receives any kind of treatment. It is also very important for you to check your blood type before donating blood. I've been checking my blood type through my ABO system since I was a child and now, with age, I understand how useful this information can be in helping me make decisions that will impact my health.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interest you have shown to this blog post. :-) Keep following BiomedXplorer.
Delete