▲ Karl Landesteiner

 In some East Asian countries, a person's blood type is believed to determine personality traits like temperament and compability. However, the science community dismisses this theory because of lack of evidence. They say that blood types are divided to keep a safe system for blood transfusion.

 The ABO blood group system was first discovered by Austrian Physician, Karl Landesteiner. He found other people's blood mixed with one person's blood in tube. The other people's blood were gathered in one space. The ABO blood group system was officially announced in 1901, and it consists of A,B and C types. After, the A and B blood types were added, and the C blood type was replaced by O. ABO blood types consist of eight common types and many rare types. In rare types, Caucasian includes Kp- and vel-, East European and Russian Jews include Dr(a-), African American and native American include u- and Fy(a-b-), Alskan Native include Rz and Pacific Island and Asian include Jk.

▲ Protein in ABO blood group

 There are some differences in the system. First, Group A has only the A antigen on red cells and B antibody in the plasma. AB has both A and B antigens on red cells. Group O has neither A nor B antigens on red cells, but both A and B antibodies in the plasma. An official of the Korean Society of Blood Transfusion said that the ABO blood types are the most important ones in transfusion because each groups have different traits and people's blood types are already selected. So, when doing a transfusion, the ABO antigens do an important role in organ transfusion.

The ABO blood group system was connected with diseases. For example, a Korean doctor found that Korean women who have blood type A have 20 percent higher risk of getting stomach cancers than other women. It is because when considering the characteristics, people with type A blood could have more chances of blood clots developing into cancers, while those with type O have a higher chance of having ulcers.

▲ Blood types

August 5, By Kim