What About That Negative Blood?

Every once in a while, I get an A&P student who expresses the concept of a negative Rh blood type as "having negative blood"—along with the connotation that having this blood type has a negative health impact.We do not ordinarily think about red blood cell types such as A, B, AB, O, Rh+/-, or others, as being "bad for you" or even "good for you" healthwise. We most often think of them simply as different "flavors" of RBCs present in the human population.Oh yeah, there are specific situations in which have a particular blood type can have significant health consequences. If you need an organ or tissue transplant—especially a blood donation—having the same RBC type as the available donor supply is "good for you." The lack thereof, then, is "bad for you" to at least some degree. Just like being tall can be bad for you when going through a low doorway.Likewise, we all know there are health risks associated with a Rh- mother carrying an Rh+ fetus—especially the situation is not identified or if precautions are not taken.  But it's not like the Rh- type itself has a direct health impact on the person with that type.However, such a view may be a bit more complex than it first seems.  Research continues to confirm that having a particular RBC type may affect your risk for certain health conditions.For example, a little over a year ago, research published in the journal Neurology found that adults with type AB blood were at an increased risk of cognitive impairme...
Source: The A and P Professor - Category: Physiology Authors: Source Type: blogs