LOVE AND HEALTH (2)

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Hi, welcome to the first post in August 2025! What a fast-paced year this has been, taking us through a series of events which have all summed up to be for our good! I love how you have shown up at every point, refusing to give up, and insisting on staying committed to partnering with what God is doing with and in your life. And just take a look at yourself now, see how far you have come! Ain’t you a hero?💫

You know I won’t begin this post without first acknowledging and appreciating you for being a reliable tribe member. Thank you for having so much passion and faith in this work, and for constantly being available to read every post from start to finish. I’m truly blessed to have you, and I’ll keep naming you as one of my blessings. 

A few weeks back, we began addressing a topic dedicated to health. We checked out statistics relating to sickle cell births and deaths, and we also talked about genotype and genotype compatibility. The feedback was encouraging, and some were shocking as well. All I can say again is that please, don’t be lured into a relationship or marriage when you know you’re not compatible health-wise with the other person. Protect yourself and the lives of those innocent souls. In case you haven’t read part (1), your gracious host has placed the link right here for you. Enjoy!😁

We will be wrapping up the ‘Love and Health’ series today by talking about blood types (or blood groups), rhesus factor and its implication in family planning, Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn, transfusion reactions, and caring for people living with sickle cell disease. I can guarantee that you are going to learn a lot from this post. Kindly sit back, relax, and let’s learn together.

An individual’s blood type depends on the genes they inherited from their parents. One of the common ways of classifying this blood type is the ABO blood group system, discovered by Karl Landsteiner in 1901. ABO blood type is a way of classifying human blood based on the presence or absence of specific antigens (A and B) on Red blood cells (RBCs).

Let’s check out the types; 

Type A: Here, the RBC surface has A antigens and the plasma (liquid component of blood) has anti-B antibodies. If the antibody is anti-B (against B), this implies that the type A blood will react against type B red cells. So, if in transfusion, type B blood is transfused into persons with type A blood, the type B RBCs will be destroyed by the antibodies present in type A (which we mentioned earlier are anti-B, meaning against B). 

So, type A blood reacts against B or AB. However, it is compatible with similar A or O blood types. 

Type B: Here, the RBC surface has B-antigens and anti-A antibodies in the plasma. Going by the explanation in A above, B will react against A or AB blood. However, it is compatible with similar B or O blood types. 

Type AB: has A and B antigens on RBC and no antibodies in the plasma. Because there are no antibodies in its plasma to fight against other incoming blood types, type AB will not react to any of A, B, AB, or O. It is very open to receive from all, which is why it is called the “universal recipient”. 

Type O: This has no antigen on its RBC surface, but has both anti-A and anti-B antibodies in its plasma. Because of this, type O can only receive from its fellow type O and not from any other. However, it can be given to every other blood type. Thus, it is called the “universal donor”.

Was that informative at all? Okay, I’m glad you picked a few points. Now, let’s get into the Rhesus System! Red blood cells (RBCs) sometimes have another antigen, a protein known as the RhD antigen. If it is present, such a person’s blood group is accompanied by the RhD positive (+ve). If absent, the blood group is RhD negative (RhD -ve). 

This implies that you can be 1 of 8 blood groups; 

• A RhD positive (A+)
• A RhD negative (A-)
• B RhD positive (B+)
• B RhD negative (B-)
• AB RhD positive (AB+)
• AB RhD negative (AB-)
• O RhD positive (O+)
• O RhD negative (O-)

In most cases, O RhD negative blood (O-ve) can be safely given to anyone. It is often used in medical emergencies when the blood type is not immediately known. It is safe for most recipients because it does not have any A, B, or RhD antigens, and it is compatible with every other ABO and RhD blood group. 

Let’s quickly address Blood Transfusion. When you are compatible with someone’s blood type, it means your body can accept their blood type in a transfusion without any problem or complication. With this knowledge, let’s see which blood types are compatible. 

As mentioned earlier;

• Type A can receive A or O blood. 
• Type B can receive B or O blood. 
• Type AB can receive A, B, AB or O blood. 
• Type O can only receive O blood. 
• Rhesus +ve: can receive both Rh+ and Rh- blood. 
• Rhesus -ve: should ideally receive Rh-ve blood (to avoid any potential development of antibodies against Rh+ blood in the future). 

Giving the wrong blood type can lead to potential life-threatening problems. If for instance, someone with B-antigen receives blood from group A-antigen, their body will launch an immune response and reject the transfusion. The anti-A antibody in the recipient’s plasma will attack and destroy the A-antigen RBCs from the donor’s blood. 

When this happens, the blood may clump together, thus leading to blood clots which can obstruct blood vessels. This breaking down of incompatible RBCs is what is referred to Hemolytic transfusion reaction. Some reactions can occur during transfusion or immediately after, while others can take days to appear. Examples of symptoms of transfusion reactions are low back pain, chills and fever, blood in urine, nausea and vomiting, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, dizziness, jaundice, lung injury, and kidney failure, among others. 

We can now go further to talk about rhesus incompatibility in pregnancy. If a mother has Rh-ve blood and the child has Rh+ve blood, problems are rare in a first pregnancy since the baby’s Rh+ve cells rarely cross the placenta (the organ of gas and nutrient exchange between the baby and mother). However, a small number of RBCs from the fetal circulation can cross the placenta and enter the maternal bloodstream during or immediately after birth. Anti-RhD antibodies can then develop in the mother’s plasma. This process is known as Sensitization. 

If the mother should then conceive another Rh+ve baby, the Rh antibodies earlier produced in the mother can cross the placenta into the fetal bloodstream and destroy the baby’s RBCs, resulting in a condition called Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn or Erythroblastosis fetalis. This causes anaemia in mild cases, but the agglutination and hemolysis can be so severe that without treatment, the baby may die in the womb or shortly after birth. 

However, note that a Rhesus-negative mother ‘can safely carry Rhesus-positive babies without complications. This can be achieved by injection or administration of a drug known as Rh immunoglobulin (RhoGAM) to the Rh-ve mother during 28 weeks of pregnancy and within 72 hours following birth. 

What this does is to destroy any fetal Rh+ red blood cells in the maternal bloodstream that may have crossed the placental barrier in the first pregnancy. When this is destroyed, it prevents any subsequent harm that may be bound to happen to future pregnancies. 

Some of the complications of Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN) include; 

• Severe jaundice: Breakdown of RBCs releases bilirubin, a yellow pigment which causes Jaundice. 
• Kernicterus: Too high bilirubin levels crosses the brain barrier, leading to kernicterus, which is a form of brain damage that causes neurological problems, seizures, and death. 
• Anaemia: Destroyed red blood cells cause insufficient oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood. 
• Hyperbilirubinemia: Elevated bilirubin level may require phototherapy or exchange transfusions. 
• Fetal or neonatal death. 
• Sepsis: The baby may be susceptible to infections. 

Do you now see why information is powerful and why it is important to make informed choices in our love life? The decisions you make not only affect you, but an entire generation is on the line. Do not allow those people to suffer the consequences of a lack of insight or yielding to sound counsel. 

To wrap up the post, let’s touch on how to care for friends living with sickle cell disease. You should know that these people can still learn to live healthy lives by knowing what their triggers are and avoiding them. Some of the things to note include: 

• Hydration: This has to do with the intake of plenty fluids. 
• Temperature regulation: Avoid extreme weather conditions, whether hot or cold weather. Warm clothings should be worn during extreme cold temperatures. 
• Stress management by performing relaxation exercises. 
• Moderate exercise is usually encouraged. However, overexertion should be avoided. 
• Pain management is very important. Encourage the use of prescribed medications. 
• Ensure that infection prevention practices are maintained. 
• Provide psychological support through counseling and therapy. 
• Learn about appropriate first aid and emergency care to give in case of emergencies. 
• Education and support to the parents and family on how to manage condition and potential complications is absolutely important. 

With the above, it is safe to say that we have come to the end of the ‘Love and Health’ series. I love how this ride has been for us, and I will be glad to read your thoughts on a point you picked. Hopefully, we’ll have another health-related discussion soon. In the meantime, the next post will have us going back to other faith and association areas. Till then, stay good!❤️