Do I need to know my blood type?

May 19th, 2012

Recently, I have had many patients inquiring about their blood type.  In my opinion, there is little utility in this as if you should ever need a blood transfusion, your blood will be matched to the donor’s blood in a test that takes a few minutes.  Also, most insurance companies will not pay for blood typing as a routine blood test with an annual physical so you would likely get a bill for the test.  If you still want to know your blood type, you can get it for free by donating blood, as they will mail you a card with your blood type.

A more important test to have done is your hemoglobin each year.  This is a method to look for anemia, which means too few red blood cells, or polycythemia vera, which means too many red blood cells.  Women who menstruate,vegetarians, and anyone with unexplained fatigue should certainly have their hemoglobin checked.  Annual bloodwork typically will include a CBC (complete blood count) which includes a hemoglobin level.