It is very rare, but your blood type can change!
This change can also be temporary in some cases. Moreover, people with rare blood types can receive transfusions from universal O-negative donors.
Our blood institute explains,
An AB patient may receive enough O blood units during a transfusion that nearly all of their red cells type as group O,
Within a few months, the patient’s bone marrow should naturally replace the transfused blood with his or her original blood type.
Furthermore, considering bone marrow transplants, red blood cells are made there, and if you get a transplant from a different blood group, your own can change. This can also have practical implications for your medical care.
Michigan medicine explains,
If you received stem cells from a donor, your donor may have a different blood type than yours,
A blood bank technician will provide you with a blood ID card with your current blood type and donor’s blood type. To assess changing of blood type, we will do frequent blood-type tests during your stay. This will help you to prepare for future transfusions. It will take approximately one year for your blood type to convert.
Bacterial infections can also temporarily change your blood group, but it is rarer. It is called the “acquired B phenomenon” and only affects people with blood type A. And in patients with sepsis, bowel obstruction, and colon cancer.
A typing discrepancies review explains,
“The acquired B antigen is a special situation that occurs when a group A patient during an episode of infection when certain gram-negative bacteria secrete enzymes that can modify the A antigen on the RBC surface, which is N-acetyl-D-galactosamine to D-galactosamine that resembles D-galactose (the B antigen) and will cross-react with anti-B reagents,
This phenomenon will resolve once the patient recovers.
Therefore, while most people have the same blood type their whole lives, in some circumstances, it can change. A blood test can determine that immediately.
