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Blood Types

B Blood Type

Why is Type B Blood so Important

Here's Why Blood Type Matters

Millions of people – including trauma patients, burn patients, cancer patients, and people with certain diseases – benefit from blood transfusions each year. For the transfusion to do its lifesaving work, hospital staff must ensure that the blood being given is compatible with the patient’s own blood type. For more information on what blood types are compatible download the blood compatibility chart here. Your blood type is inherited from your parents, much like your eye and hair color. Take a look at our genetic chart.

Type B Negative
  • Less than 2% of the population have B negative blood.
  • B negative red blood cells can be given to both B and AB patients.  B negative patients can only receive blood from other B negative donors or from type O negative donors (who are the universal donors). Since both of those types are fairly rare, the Red Cross works hard to ensure that sufficient supplies are always available.  

 

Type B Positive
  • About 9% of the population have B positive blood.
  • B positive red blood cells can be given to both B positive and AB positive patients.  
  • B positive patients can receive blood from B positive, B negative, O positive and O negative donors.   

 

Did You Know?

Platelets are critical for cancer patients. They must be transfused within 5 days of donation.

Blood and Platelets must be from donors, it can’t be manufactured.

By the time you are six months old, you will have antibodies against antigens lacking in your blood.

Why Donations Are So Important

Latest studies have shown that someone in the US needs a blood transfusion every 2 seconds each day in the United States. The average person can only donate 1 pint of whole blood in a single donation and the shelf life is 42 days, which is why the need to keep replenishing the supply to meet demand is great. 38% of the population in the United States are eligible to donate blood, but only 3% of us actually donate.