Blood Types

dominant

Type A and B are ________ over type O, which is recessive.

codominant

Type A and B are codominant with each other, meaning they will both be expressed if present.

neighborhood

When you have type B blood, it's almost like the B red blood cells own the ____________, and they do not want type A blood cells moving in. In fact, they create anti-A antibodies to stand guard and keep the As away.

O

You are either blood type A, B, AB or __.

agglutination

_____________ is where the red blood cells clump together and interfere with blood circulation due to the fact that this clump of cells can clog up small blood vessels in the body.

dominant

rH positive blood is ________ over rH negative, which is recessive.

proteins

The plasma membrane that surrounds each of your red blood cells contains special ________, called antigens, that are placed there based on your unique genetic makeup.

plasma

There are genetically determined proteins, called antigens, found on the ______ membrane of your red blood cells.

RhoGAM

Treat the mother with ______ soon after giving birth to her first child. ______ is an injection given to a woman who is Rh negative to prevent the formation of antibodies.

sensitized

You might think that the Rh blood group would be the same way and assume that if you are born without the Rh antigen that your body would automatically make antibodies against it. However, in the Rh blood group system, the antibodies are not automatically produced. Instead, a person with Rh negative blood needs to be '__________' before he or she will start to produce antibodies to the Rh antigen.

antigens

Your blood type is determined by microscopic ________ found on your red blood cells.

foreign

Your body tolerates your own red blood cell antigens, but if your blood were to be transfused into another person with different red blood cell antigens, that other person's antibodies would recognize the transfused red blood cells as _______ and bind to them, causing agglutination.

antigens

Your immune system recognizes foreign particles that are not normally in your body as ________.

before

Your red blood cell antigens are formed ______ your antibodies form.

Rh

A and B antigens are not the only antigens found on your red blood cells, you also have an antigen called the __ factor.

both

Contrast that to someone who has an AB blood type. A person who has an AB blood type has an immune system that is used to seeing ____ A and B antigens. They would not have antibodies against any type of blood. So this person could receive not only AB blood, but also A or B type blood.

again

However, if this woman with Rh negative blood gets a bad blood transfusion that contains Rh positive blood, her body will now be 'primed,' or 'sensitized,' to the Rh positive antigen and start to produce anti-Rh positive antibodies. Because this was the first exposure, there's no real harm done, other than the fact that now she has the antibodies floating around in her bloodstream. The only significant point is that because the antibodies are now in her bloodstream, she can never _____ come in contact with Rh positive blood or her antibodies will attack. It's almost like she gets a free pass for her first exposure to the wrong blood type when you talk about Rh factor. However, this first exposure sets you up for problems if you ever get the wrong blood again.

antibodies

If an antigen is present, it stimulates your immune system to release __________ to provide immunity against the specific antigen.

not

If you have a woman with Rh negative blood who has never had a blood transfusion or any other exposure to anyone else's blood, she will ___ have any antibodies against the Rh antigen.

O

If you inherited both types of antigens, then you ended up with type AB blood. In the event that both antigens are absent, you would end up with type __ blood.

absent

If you were born with type O blood, we know that both antigens are ______ from your red blood cells. Therefore, your blood would form both anti-A and anti-B antibodies.

placenta

Now, let's consider a different woman. Let's say that she is a pregnant Rh negative woman who is carrying an Rh positive child. During pregnancy, and especially during delivery, there is a good chance that the child's Rh positive blood can pass through the ________ and into the mother's bloodstream - somewhat like the blood transfusion

no

People with an AB blood type, as well as those who have A or B blood type, can receive blood from a type O person because that person produces red blood cells with __ antigens that can react with their immune system.

erythrocytes

Red blood cells are also referred to as ____________.

negative

Rh factor is a red blood cell antigen found in most people. Those with Rh factor are Rh positive, while those without are Rh ________.

donors

Someone with type O blood can receive blood from another type O person, so that means a person who is type O can donate blood to anyone and, therefore, they're called 'universal ______.' Similarly, since people who are type AB can receive blood from any type, they are called 'universal recipients.'

factor

The Rh blood group system is a classification system for blood that depends on the presence or absence of the Rh antigen - or ______ - on your red blood cells.

antigen

The Rh factor is simply a red blood cell _______, just like the A antigen and the B antigen that are used to determine your blood type.

ABO

The ___ blood group system is a classification system for blood that depends on the presence or absence of an A or B antigen on the red blood cells.

not

The antibodies that get produced by your body are based on the antigen ___ present on your red blood cells. Therefore, if you have type A antigens stuck on the outside of your red blood cells, you will develop only anti-B antibodies.

destroy

If the Rh negative mother is not treated and becomes pregnant again with an Rh positive child, her antibodies would _______ the child's red blood cells, resulting in a condition called Erythroblastosis Fetalis, also known as Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn.

accept

If you ever needed a blood transfusion because you could only ______ blood from someone else who has type O blood. Any other blood type (A, B, or AB) would have antigens that react with your antibodies.

destroy

If you had type A antigens on your red blood cells, and your body formed anti-A antibodies, they would _______ your own blood.

recipients

Someone with type O blood can receive blood from another type O person, so that means a person who is type O can donate blood to anyone and, therefore, they're called 'universal donors.' Similarly, since people who are type AB can receive blood from any type, they are called 'universal __________.'

sensitized

The first pregnancy for an Rh negative mom and an Rh positive child typically results in a healthy baby. But, the mother is now __________ by Rh positive antigens that have passed through the placenta and into her bloodstream. That means she will start to form anti-Rh positive antibodies. This will be a problem if she ever becomes pregnant again with an Rh positive child, because her antibodies will reject the child.