What are the Different Blood Components?

@VivAnne - Ah, isn't blood complex? I think it's really fascinating how diverse humanity is, even on a blood cell level.

@SkittisH, I wanted to comment on this too and let you know that component-wise, the biggest indicators of blood type and whether one blood type will interact well with another are the antibodies in the plasma and the type of red blood cell.

See, the whole concept of blood types, besides counting on whether one blood sample attacks another or not, is mostly based around slightly different kinds of red blood cell.

Red blood cells can have different surface materials with different uses. The surface differences are actually substances that naturally form on the surfaces of the red blood cells, and those are the antigens that VivAnne here is referring to.

It helps to imagine the red blood cells having different coatings on them, like coats of paint. Whatever visualization method you use, just remember that the red blood cells' slight differences are inherited.

This is why certain blood types can run in families more than in others, and why family members are often good candidates for donating blood and even organs.

@SkittisH - You're right, the blood components are slightly different depending on what blood type, also called a blood group, that a person has.

For starters, blood type is determined by the presence or lack of certain components called antigens, as well as blood serum components called antibodies. Antigens and antibodies also determine which blood types are compatible with which other blood types.

For example, a donor with blood type A- cannot donate blood to a recipient with blood type B-, because blood type A in any form does not contain antigens for any blood type except for A.

Forms of blood type A also all contain antibodies that fight the antigens found in any form of blood type B.

That same A- blood type donor could give blood to a recipient with blood type AB, though, because AB type blood doesn't contain antibodies against A blood types, and contains antigens for blood types A and B.

In short, in order to be compatible for a blood transfusion, two blood types must having matching antigens, and they must not have conflicting antibodies.

If either of these doesn't match, the body will reject the donated blood as an invading substance, and your own blood's antigens and antibodies will attack and try to kill the new blood cells that were introduced.

@hanley79 - Blood is one of those things that most people take for granted. When you examine and research blood components even a little, it's really pretty fantastic that your body can do so much with such tiny organisms flowing through your veins.

I've always thought of the human body as a kind of planet. I know it sounds weird, but if you think of the cells as animals and consider the size difference, it's pretty similar. Cells are living things, and they come in many different varieties -- kind of like animals on the earth, isn't it?

Just like the population of the earth, the population of your body's blood cells is constantly growing, while other cells are constantly hitting the ends of their life cycles, or sickening, and dying as well.

If the cells are the animals, then the fluids could be considered the oceans of the planet that is you. Just like the earth's oceans, the fluids in your blood have an ideal level of different components and of healthy creatures (cells) living in them.

When the balance of your blood sugar or plasma levels is thrown off, the cells can suffer as a result -- kind of an environmental message for your veins.

Donating blood, as you were describing, changes that balance temporarily, but like the earth and the ocean, when you leave your body be to recover it will recover and flourish all on its own.

@gimbell - To answer your last question, there, yes and no. If you donate plasma, and you donate a significant amount, you'll probably feel that wobbly low blood sugar feeling.

This is because plasma is one of the human blood components found in the liquid state, and that liquid also happens to contain your blood's glucose -- the sugar.

If you donate platelets only, I don't imagine you would feel anemic, because that involves loss of iron and red blood cells, or like you had low blood sugar, because as mentioned above that involves the liquid components in your blood.

Donating whole blood is extremely useful, but donating platelets and plasma can still save lives. I highly encourage you to go donate one of the three, if not all of them.

@ElizaBennett - Nice screenname -- I love Pride and Prejudice!

About the blood doning. Is there any kind of blood drive that just wants red blood cells or white blood cells? There are a lot of diseases, such as anemia, that could be treated using just more of those, but I'm not sure what kind of condition is considered serious enough to warrant getting a blood transfusion.

I know that whole blood is used for people who have lost a lot of blood, or that have a blood disease and need to have most if not all of their own blood eventually filtered out of the mixture. I would imagine that white blood cells on their own would still be immensely useful for a donor to give.

I've never heard of donating plasma or platelets by themselves -- that's pretty cool! Does it leave you feeling anemic and low on blood sugar like a regular blood doning session?

Are there any differences in the components in blood depending which blood type somebody has? It seems like there's a pretty specific "formula" for human blood that would dictate how much plasma your body produces in comparison to how many cells your body mixes into its blood.

However, something makes different blood types unique, or we wouldn't be able to tell which blood type will blend with ours and which won't.

The fact that certain blood types will not blend together makes me wonder if there are different cells that would fight each other if the two types were mixed, or if the plasma and fluid blend is slightly different in one type and will throw the other's blend off.

Does anybody else wonder about this stuff? Any thoughts on blood types and whether their ability or inability to blend is based on the mixture of their components?

@jennythelib - First of all, it's great that you plan to donate! You can save three lives (often, premature babies). A blood drive generally collects whole blood, but components can also be donated separately. I've heard of donating platelets and plasma.

You can donate whole blood every 8 weeks, but platelets and plasma can be donated much more often. I'm more familiar with platelet donation, which I've seen done. With platelet donation, your blood passes through a special machine that scrubs out some platelets, then the rest of the blood is returned to you.

I hope yu'll become a regular donor and consider doing platelets as well!

I have maybe a dumb question about blood donation. My work is having a blood drive next week and I've never donated before, but they really want us to all participate.

With blood donation, do they take all the components of your blood, or just some of them?