Knowing our blood type may be beneficial for more reasons than we think. It can help assess our risk for certain health problems, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). The risk of CVD varies by blood type, with non-O blood types appearing to be at greater risk.
A person’s blood type depends on the types of proteins, or antigens, found on the surface of the red blood cells and is usually defined using the ABO and RhD systems. The ABO system consists of four major blood types: A, B, AB, and O, each of which can be either RhD-positive or RhD-negative. Determining blood type is essential for safe blood transfusions and can be used to determine a person’s susceptibility to certain diseases.
