People with AB negative blood are literally 1 in 100. To those of us at Our Blood Institute, though, they're 1 in a million.
AB negative blood is the rarest primary blood type, making up less than 1% of the population. This scarcity makes AB negative donations critically important!
Plus, people with AB negative blood are considered "universal plasma donors" as their plasma can be transfused to anyone.
What else makes the AB negative blood type stand out? Let's dig a little deeper.
As AB negative plasma can be used to help all of us, it's highly recommended that AB negative donors give plasma every 28 days, or as often as they're able.
One benefit of donating plasma? It's mostly water and regenerates quickly — usually within 24 to 48 hours — meaning your body should recover even more quickly than a traditional whole blood donation.
Special bonus point drops at key milestones during your annual blood and platelet donation journey, and for first-time donors. Accrue enough and you'll be able to cash them in for exclusive merchandise and deals on the Donor Rewards Store.
Here's a breakdown of the points you'll receive for each type of donation:
Platelets: 1500
Plasma: 1000
AB negative is extremely rare, with the blood type present in just 1% of the U.S. population. It's the rarest of the eight primary blood types.
In the U.S., Asian-Americans are disproportionately more likely to have an AB positive or AB negative blood type. Among that group, 7% fall within the AB group, compared to the national average of 4%.
People with an AB negative blood type can donate plasma to patients of any blood type, whereas patients with AB positive or AB negative blood are the only people able to safely receive AB- red blood cells.
To save the most lives, we suggest our AB negative donors tap into their universal plasma donor status and give plasma when eligible!
AB negative patients can receive blood transfusions from people with AB negative, A negative, B negative or O negative blood. Put another way, any of the primary Rh-negative blood types can be safely transfused to AB negative patients in need.
One in 100 people have AB negative blood, but there's another blood type — Rhnull — that exists in just 1 in 6 million of us.
Want to learn about what makes other blood types unique? Visit our blood types hub or use the drop-down bar below for a deeper look at a specific blood type.