There are four main human blood groups: first (O), second (A), third (B) and fourth (AB). Every person should know their blood type by heart because in emergency situations it can save their life. The fact is that if a blood transfusion is necessary, doctors must quickly find out the person’s blood type. If a recipient is transfused with blood of a different type, the body will not accept it, which can cause death. Typically, a person's blood type is the same throughout their entire life. But in rare cases, it may become different for a short time. There are three possible reasons that can change a person's blood type.
There are situations in which a person's blood type changes completely. Source: naturemedclinic.com
Contents
- 1 Reasons for changing blood type
- 1.1 Bone marrow transplant
- 1.2 Blood transfusion
- 1.3 Bacterial infections
- 2 Who discovered human blood groups
Reasons for changes in blood group
About In some rare cases, a person’s blood type can become completely different, the authors of the scientific publication IFL Science told. Sometimes this occurs when receiving a donor organ and receiving a blood transfusion. There are cases when the blood type changes as a result of a bacterial infection.
Bone marrow transplant
For some diseases, such as leukemia, a person can only be saved by a bone marrow transplant. This is the name of the soft spongy tissue inside the bones, which is responsible for the production of all types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Any person who has not had serious illnesses can become a bone marrow donor. If a doctor transplants the bone marrow of a person with the first blood group into the body of a recipient with the second blood group, the second’s blood type will also become first. The fact is that someone else's bone marrow will begin to produce the blood of another person.
The bone marrow is the organ that produces human blood. Source: pcr.news
On our website there is an article “Human blood groups: how they differ and why they should not be mixed.” It noted that in practice such cases have never happened. And all because doctors always try to choose donors and recipients with the same blood type. This is done to ensure that unexpected complications do not arise after the operation.
Blood transfusion
The second reason for changing a person’s blood type can be a blood transfusion. Transfusions are usually required for people with severe blood loss, anemia, blood disorders, and severe infections.
During a transfusion, the blood type may change if too much blood of a different type is infused into the recipient's body. Yes, you cannot mix blood types, but some of them are compatible. For example, patients with the fourth blood group (AB) can become recipients of donors with the first blood group (O). So, if you infuse too much foreign blood into a patient, he becomes its owner.
Some blood types are compatible with each other. Source: new-science.ru
To be fair, the changes do not last long. Over time, a person’s bone marrow produces a sufficient amount of blood of its own type and the group is restored.
Read also:What your blood type can tell you – check yourself right now
Bacterial infections
In rare cases, a bacterial infection may cause a change in blood type. In some diseases such as colon cancer, intestinal obstruction and sepsis, bacteria in the human body change the structure of blood cells so much that over time they begin to show characteristics of a different blood type.
Bacteria can change a person's blood type. Source: chemistryworld.com
Fortunately, after treatment, a person’s blood type is restored. This happens because the bacteria that have changed the blood type die, and the bone marrow produces a sufficient amount of native blood.
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Who discovered human blood groups
Blood groups were discovered by the Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner in 1901. Thanks to his discovery, doctors learned to safely administer blood transfusions, which significantly reduced the mortality rate. Also, the discovery of blood groups made it possible to transplant entire organs with less risk of rejection by the body. Today, scientists are seriously thinking about the possibility of transplanting the head of one person into the body of another. Perhaps soon this will cease to be fantasy and turn into reality.
Austrian doctor Karl Landsteiner. Source: 3seaseurope.com
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Research in this area is still ongoing. In May 2024, my colleague Andrei Zhukov said that scientists have created universal blood that can be transfused to any person. This was achieved thanks to intestinal bacteria. There is hope that universal blood will appear in hospitals, and with its help in the future it will be possible to save the lives of millions of people around the world.