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Your Blood Group can decide your susceptibility to virus


 
Types of Blood group

Blood

Blood is a fluid circulation through the heart, arteries, veins and capillaries. Blood is red, alkaline and has a peculiar smell. The total blood in our body is about 5 liters. Blood is composed of fluid and cells. The proportion of cells to fluid is 45% to 55%. Blood cells are of 3 types
1.       Red blood cells [RBC]
2.       White blood cells [WBC]
3.       Platelets

Red blood cells and its importance

To determine blood group let us understand Red Blood Cells first. RBC’s are small bi-concave discs. Their number is about 5 million (5,000,000) per cubic mm. of blood. They contain ‘Hemoglobin’ which is red in color and contains iron. The function of hemoglobin is to carry oxygen. Therefore you need to have good hemoglobin levels or else you will feel exhausted due to less oxygen in your body.

The amount of hemoglobin is 100 c.c. of blood is about 15 gms. And many of Indians have it between 9-11 gms. This is low level. If level of hemoglobin in 100 c.c. drops further than 9 mg/dl, chances of person getting infected from any virus is very high. To prevent yourself from viruses you need to keep you hemoglobin levels in range i.e. 11-15 mg/dl for females and 12-16 mg/dl for males.

In the adults, the RBC’s are formed in the bone marrow ends of long bones. Their life is about 120 days. The cells then wear out, breakdown occur in system. They are retained in the spleen where the protein part is destroyed and hemoglobin thus liberated reaches the liver by the portal vein. Iron is stored in the liver and bile is produced out of coloring matter of hemoglobin. In this process, iron is reused so that, body doesn’t not faces deficiency of iron to produce hemoglobin, only substance to deliver lifesaving oxygen to whole body. But in case of females due to menstruation, iron losses occurs in spite of body’s restoration process therefore, diet needs to have good iron sources (meat, fish, chicken, leafy veggies and eggs).

Blood groups

The blood of all humans being is not the same due to the presence of agglutinins in the plasma, and agglutinogens in the cells (Rh factor – Rhesus monkey has it for first time, name taken from that). Blood is divided into 4 major groups on the basis of contents of antibodies, as follows – A, B, AB, and O.
‘Rh factor’ in blood is important in blood transfusion; it is present on RBC’s. Rh factor is not present on the cells of all persons. Those who have got it on their cells are called ‘Rh +ve e.g. A Rh+ve, and those who haven’t got it are called Rh-ve e.g. A Rh-ve. Therefore it is important in blood transfusion that the blood which is being transfused is of the appropriate group and also matches the recipient’s Rh factor.

Why is our blood type so powerful for immunity?

Your blood type is the key to your body’s entire immune system.it controls the influence of viruses, bacteria, infections, chemicals, stress and other things that can affect your immune system. The immune system works to define ‘self’ and destroy ‘non-self’. This is critical function, otherwise immune system could have attacked its own tissue and destroyed vital organ.
Nature has given delicate method to immune system, to determine if a substance is foreign or not, and it is done through ANTIGENS in our cells of body. ANTIGENS are greatest security of immune system. When immune system finds any foreign substance, it depends on antigens to tell whether it is friend or foe.

Different blood type has different ANTIGENS

 Blood group A will have A antigens similarly, blood group B will have B antigens. Blood group AB will have antigen AB and blood group O has no antigens. When your blood type antigen senses that a foreign antigen (virus, bacteria & other foreign substance) has entered the system, it creates the antibodies to that antigen. These antibodies attach itself to virus, bacteria & other foreign substance like glue, by gluing their disposal is easier. Body produces many types of antibodies for different antigens, chemicals, virus, bacteria & other foreign substance.

Who can fight off viruses?

Blood type A, considered being prone to catch infections. Blood type O is the oldest and most basic blood type, in ancient times they are the top of the food chain, with a strong and ornery immune system. Chances of blood group O, to catch infection are far lesser than other types of blood group[1]
 For blood type AB and type B, their susceptibility will depend more on Inborn and Acquired immunity.

However, it is very individualized factor, who can catch infection and who can't; more than type of blood group, its personal habits, diet intake, fitness level and level of stress has profound effect on immunity which can decide whether one can catch infection or not.

[1] Source:https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.11.20031096v2
Image source: http://www.biosciencenotes.com/blood-group-and-blood-grouping/
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