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Australia’s blood types are becoming more positive, and this could change as some emergency transfusions are performed

More of the Australian population today has a positive blood type compared to the mid-90s, according to new figures.

Key points:

  • The first Australia-wide study of its kind in almost 30 years found that the blood groups of the population change
  • A larger proportion have positive blood today, and B and AB types have increased by 2-4 percent
  • These changes reflect the migration and influx of different genes that come with it

A trio of researchers from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood analyzed blood types from more than a million people across the country, and found rates of some of traditionally rare blood types also jumped a few percentage points.

The results of the blood group audit were published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Rena Hirani, who led the study, says that information about the shift in blood types of the nation not only gives blood donation organizations a better idea of ​​what they can collect from the community, but it can also affect how emergency blood transfusions occur. of the track.

“Now we can start making some plans for the future [such as] Outreach programs to different communities to diversify the cultural representation of our blood donors, “said Dr. Hirani.

“If Australia continues to … become more positive, then I think we could see how positive blood becomes the universal way we use it in some emergencies.”

What is behind this blood group shift?

Like the eye color, your blood type is hereditary, and it refers to the presence or absence of certain molecules, called antigens, spread across the surface of your red blood cells.

When we see blood groups written as “O positive” or “AB negative”, this information is about two different blood group systems.