Blood and Diversity

Diversity In Blood Types

People come in all different shapes, sizes and blood types. Most blood types fall into one of the four major groups: A, B, AB, O. However, some people have rare blood types that fall outside the major groups, and for these patients, we need a more diverse blood supply.

For a small percentage of the population, finding someone else with the same blood type can be as difficult as looking for a needle in a haystack. Patients who require frequent blood transfusions as part of their treatment, like those with sickle cell disease or thalassemia, can need close blood type matches to prevent these patients from developing complications from their transfusion therapy.

The best blood type match for patients with rare blood types often comes from donors of the same race or similar ethnicity.

Rare Blood Types

Red blood cells carry markers called antigens on their surface that determine one’s blood type. There are more than 600 known antigens besides A and B. Certain blood types are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups. Therefore, it is essential that donor diversity match patient diversity. For example, U-negative and Duffy-negative blood types are unique to the African American community. People with sickle cell disease and these blood types rely on blood donors who are Black when they need a transfusion.

When blood is phenotypically matched (i.e., close blood type match), patients are at a lower risk of developing complications from transfusion therapy. For this reason, it is extremely important to increase the number of available blood donors from all ethnic and racial groups.

Some Rare Blood Types by Ethnic Group

A table of rare blood types by ethnic group, with Ethnic groups in the left column and Rare blood types in the left.

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