Advantages of Donating Blood
Advantages of Donating Blood
Blood donation is often considered as a benevolent act. But do you know that it has noteworthy health benefits to the donor as well? Know more about the advantages of donating blood...
Blood donation, the voluntary act of allowing one's blood to be drawn out of body has many advantages besides giving that wonderful feeling of saving someone's life. Most of the time it is an act of charity, though sometimes many people donate blood for money and other incentives. The blood donated is stored in blood banks, to be subsequently used for transfusion.
No doubt the first and foremost advantage of donating blood is the exalted feeling of saving someone's life. If we donate the little excess blood in our body, it could save someone's life without creating any problem for us. Instead it would help to alleviate some major health problems like heart diseases. Blood donation is an excellent way to get rid of excess iron accumulated in our body due to its overconsumption. Excess iron in the body can stimulate the formation of free radicals, which are responsible for causing damage to body cells and tissues. Free radicals are also associated with many diseases like heart diseases and cancer.
Iron overloading is also thought to increase the risk of heart diseases. Besides, iron oxidizes cholesterol, which is harmful for the arteries. Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease characterized by excess accumulation of iron in the tissues due to improper metabolism. The disease can cause damage to many organs like pancreas, adrenal glands, etc. It may also cause diabetes, liver diseases and heart diseases. So, donating blood on a regular basis would help you to regulate the level of iron in your body. Studies have shown that donating blood regularly can be beneficial for the heart and circulatory system and can reduce the risk of heart diseases, especially among young people.
Besides, blood donation also burns the extra calories and reduces your cholesterol level. After donating blood, the count of blood cells decreases in our body, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce new red blood cells in order to replenish the loss. So, it stimulates the production of new blood cells and refreshes the system.
Before donating blood, your hemoglobin level will be tested. If it is low, then you will not be allowed to donate blood. Besides hemoglobin, your blood pressure level and body weight will also be checked. In addition, your blood will also be examined for detecting the presence of five diseases, namely, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS and malaria. If you are not suffering from these diseases, only then you will be allowed to donate your blood.
Health benefits of donating blood
Reduce the chance of heart diseases It has been observed that increase in blood iron level increases the chance of heart disease. Iron is involved in the oxidation of cholesterol and this process is believed to be detrimental for the arteries. Increases blood iron level favors this process of cholesterol oxidation and thus leads to heart disease.
1 Regular blood donation helps especially males in loosing iron on regular basis. It helps in reducing the chance of heart attack to one third.
2. Enhance the production of new Red Blood Cells
As the blood is withdrawn from the donors body there is decrease in blood cells. To replenish it, immediately new cells are produced by marrow and this way blood gets refreshed. Therefore donating blood helps in stimulating generation of new blood cells.
3. Helps in fighting hemochromitosis
Hemochromitosis is a genetic disorder; also know as iron overload disorder wherein iron accumulates in the body tissue because or improper iron metabolism. This condition may lead to organ damage.3 Though this problem is uncommon in Indians
4. people with little iron overload also can easily donation blood and reduce their iron content. Taking example from other countries, one in every 300-400 people in England suffers from this disorder and American Red Cross blood services accept such donors as safe donor as it’s a genetic disorder, it won’t be harmful to the person receiving blood from such donors.
5. Burns calories
One can diet or remain fit by donating blood regularly. One pint of blood (450 ml) when donated burns 650 calories in donor’s body.
6 . Invigorated feeling in elderly people
It has been mentioned in various sites though not proved that elderly people in good health have reported feeling invigorated or reenergized by giving blood on a regular basis.
7. Basic blood test is done
Apart from all these benefits a donor gets a mini blood test done before donating blood. This includes Hematocrit i.e. HB level test, Blood pressure is measured, body weight is checked. After the blood is collected it tested for 5 major diseases. Those are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Syphilis and malaria. Donor is immediately informed if any of these test found to be positive more
Blood donation is often considered as a benevolent act. But do you know that it has noteworthy health benefits to the donor as well? Know more about the advantages of donating blood...
Blood donation, the voluntary act of allowing one's blood to be drawn out of body has many advantages besides giving that wonderful feeling of saving someone's life. Most of the time it is an act of charity, though sometimes many people donate blood for money and other incentives. The blood donated is stored in blood banks, to be subsequently used for transfusion.
No doubt the first and foremost advantage of donating blood is the exalted feeling of saving someone's life. If we donate the little excess blood in our body, it could save someone's life without creating any problem for us. Instead it would help to alleviate some major health problems like heart diseases. Blood donation is an excellent way to get rid of excess iron accumulated in our body due to its overconsumption. Excess iron in the body can stimulate the formation of free radicals, which are responsible for causing damage to body cells and tissues. Free radicals are also associated with many diseases like heart diseases and cancer.
Iron overloading is also thought to increase the risk of heart diseases. Besides, iron oxidizes cholesterol, which is harmful for the arteries. Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease characterized by excess accumulation of iron in the tissues due to improper metabolism. The disease can cause damage to many organs like pancreas, adrenal glands, etc. It may also cause diabetes, liver diseases and heart diseases. So, donating blood on a regular basis would help you to regulate the level of iron in your body. Studies have shown that donating blood regularly can be beneficial for the heart and circulatory system and can reduce the risk of heart diseases, especially among young people.
Besides, blood donation also burns the extra calories and reduces your cholesterol level. After donating blood, the count of blood cells decreases in our body, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce new red blood cells in order to replenish the loss. So, it stimulates the production of new blood cells and refreshes the system.
Before donating blood, your hemoglobin level will be tested. If it is low, then you will not be allowed to donate blood. Besides hemoglobin, your blood pressure level and body weight will also be checked. In addition, your blood will also be examined for detecting the presence of five diseases, namely, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS and malaria. If you are not suffering from these diseases, only then you will be allowed to donate your blood.
Health benefits of donating blood
Reduce the chance of heart diseases It has been observed that increase in blood iron level increases the chance of heart disease. Iron is involved in the oxidation of cholesterol and this process is believed to be detrimental for the arteries. Increases blood iron level favors this process of cholesterol oxidation and thus leads to heart disease.
1 Regular blood donation helps especially males in loosing iron on regular basis. It helps in reducing the chance of heart attack to one third.
2. Enhance the production of new Red Blood Cells
As the blood is withdrawn from the donors body there is decrease in blood cells. To replenish it, immediately new cells are produced by marrow and this way blood gets refreshed. Therefore donating blood helps in stimulating generation of new blood cells.
3. Helps in fighting hemochromitosis
Hemochromitosis is a genetic disorder; also know as iron overload disorder wherein iron accumulates in the body tissue because or improper iron metabolism. This condition may lead to organ damage.3 Though this problem is uncommon in Indians
4. people with little iron overload also can easily donation blood and reduce their iron content. Taking example from other countries, one in every 300-400 people in England suffers from this disorder and American Red Cross blood services accept such donors as safe donor as it’s a genetic disorder, it won’t be harmful to the person receiving blood from such donors.
5. Burns calories
One can diet or remain fit by donating blood regularly. One pint of blood (450 ml) when donated burns 650 calories in donor’s body.
6 . Invigorated feeling in elderly people
It has been mentioned in various sites though not proved that elderly people in good health have reported feeling invigorated or reenergized by giving blood on a regular basis.
7. Basic blood test is done
Apart from all these benefits a donor gets a mini blood test done before donating blood. This includes Hematocrit i.e. HB level test, Blood pressure is measured, body weight is checked. After the blood is collected it tested for 5 major diseases. Those are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Syphilis and malaria. Donor is immediately informed if any of these test found to be positive more
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Professor Umesh Kumar. USA American Red Cross. Donation Type Donation Frequency* Blood (whole blood) Every 56 days Platelets Every 7 days, up to 24 times / year Plasma Every 28 days, up to 13 times / year Double Red Cells Every 112 days, up to 3 times / year *If more than one donation type is donated, this will affect the number of allowable donations per year due to red cell and plasma loss limit guidelines. Final eligibility will be determined by the American Red Cross at the time of donation. Blood Donors Must: Be in good general health and feeling well* Be at least 17-years-old in most states, or 16-years-old with parental consent if allowed by state law – see more information for 16-year-old donors » Weigh at least 110 lbs. Additional weight requirements apply for donors 18-years-old and younger and all high school donors Indian Red Cross. Age Limit 65 Years of Age. more
Jul 15
Dear Mr.Umesh Kumar and appreciate your desire to donate blood after completion of 66years. As per Rotary Blood Bank information 2years back only upto 60years age were allowed to donate the blood which is now 65years.As regard rejection of some cases for blood donation depends upon the medication taking by the donor. Please go through the following details courtesy of Rotary Blood Bank. Q: How long can blood be stored? A: Whole blood can be stored up to 35 days, when kept in CPDA anti coagulant solution and refrigerated at 2 – 4 deg C. But the demand is so great that blood hardly ever remains in storage for so long and is used much before expiry. Q: Can we separate blood into its components? A: Yes! Now with technical advancements, we can make components of blood and store them. For example, plasma can be separated from whole blood and stored up to one year in frozen state at -80 deg C temperature or below. This is called Fresh Frozen Plasma. Similarly there are other components like Platelet Rich Plasma; Platelet Concentrate (can be stored as a life saving measure upto 5 days now at 22- 24 degrees C in a platelet incubator and agitator); Cryoprecipitate (which is very useful in treating bleeding disorders due to the deficiency of factor VIII and IX); Factor VIII and IX; Albumin, Globulin and many others. In most progressive blood banks more than 85 % of the blood collected is converted into components and stored. This is because many patients do not require whole blood. For example, a patient whose hemoglobin is low and is therefore anemic, may just require Packed Cells i.e. only red cells; a patient with burns may need more of plasma than cells; a patient with hemophilia may require only Factor VIII. Now with the advent of Cell-separators we can directly draw a particular component from the donor, while rest of the blood constituents go back to the donor. Transfusion Q: In which situations do patients need blood transfusion? A: There are many situations in which patients need blood to stay alive: A patient needs blood after a major accident in which there is loss of blood. No major surgery is performed without blood as there is bound to be blood loss. On an average, for every open heart surgery about 6 units of blood is required. In miscarriage or childbirth, cases the patient may need large amount of blood to be transfused for saving her life and also the child’s. For patients with blood diseases like severe Anaemias especially Aplastic Anaemias, Leucaemias (blood cancer), Haemophilia (bleeding disorder), Thalassemia etc. repeated blood transfusions are the only solution. In many other situations like poisoning, drug reactions, shock, burns, blood transfusion is the only way to save precious human life. Q: Do you test all the collected blood? A: Yes. ALL the blood in our blood bank is tested for AIDS, VDRL, jaundice (HBsAg, HCV), malaria etc. using the latest technology. Q: What happens to patients in transfusions with incompatible blood (mismatched blood)? A: The following symptoms may occur after only a few ml. of blood have been given: 1. Patient complains of shivering, restlessness, nausea, and vomiting. There is precardial and lumbar pain. 2. Cold, clammy skin with cyanosis. 3. Pulse rate increases, respiratory rate increases. Temperature increases to 38 to 40 deg C. [101 to 105 F]. 4. Blood pressure falls and patient passes into a state of shock. 5. Haemoglobinaemia, haemoglobinurea (urine turns red); oliguria (urine becomes scanty or the urinary output is reduced) and anuria (total output of urine becomes 200 ml. a day) 6. Jaundice appears after a few hours and in some cases anuria persists and uremia develops. This may lead to death. Donating Blood Q: In which situations do people generally donate blood? A: There are three types of blood donors: - (1) PROFESSIONAL DONORS – They sell their blood, which is of very poor quality and can transmit very dangerous diseases to the recipient. It is illegal to take blood from any professional donor. (2) REPLACEMENT DONATION – Healthy relatives and friends of the patient give their blood, of any group, to the blood bank. In exchange, the required number of units in the required blood group is given. (3) VOLUNTARY DONATION- Here a donor donates blood voluntarily. The blood can be used for any patient even without divulging the identity of the donor. This is the best type of blood donation where a motivated human being gives blood in an act of selfless service. Q: Who is a healthy donor? A: Any person within the age group of 18 – 65 years with a body weight as minimum 45 kgs, and having hemoglobin content as minimum 12.5 gm%. Q: Does a donor need to do anything special before donation? A: The donor should eat at regular mealtimes and drink plenty of fluids. Q: How long does the donation take? A: The procedure is done by skilled, specially trained technicians and takes three to eight minutes. However, from start to finish (filling form, post donation rest etc) the entire process should take upwards of 35 minutes. Q: Does the needle hurt the entire time? A: There may be a little sting when the needle is inserted, but there should be no pain during the donation. Q: Does the donor suffer from any harmful effects after donating blood donation? A: Absolutely not, rather a donor after having given blood voluntarily gets a feeling of great pleasure, peace and bliss. Soon, within a period of 24 – 48 hours, the same amount of new blood gets formed in the body, which helps the donor in many ways. His own body resistance improves, the circulation improves, and he himself feels healthier than before. Q: Does a donor need to rest after donating blood? A: Yes. The donor needs rest, preferably lying down, so that the amount of blood that has been donated soon gets poured into the circulation from the body pools in a natural way. The donor should take it easy for about 15 – 20 minutes. Q: Can a donor work after donating blood? A: Of course! Routine work is absolutely fine after the initial rest. Rigorous physical work should be avoided for a few hours. Q: What special diet should a donor follow after giving blood? A: After resting for a while a donor is given some liquid (fluid) to take. It may be a cup of coffee or milk or fruit juice alongwith a few biscuits or fruit. The donor needs no other special diet. A routine balanced diet is adequate. The donor’s blood gets replenished within 24 – 48 hours. Q: How long will it take for the body to replenish the blood? A: The body replaces blood volume or plasma within 24 hours. Red cells need about four to eight weeks for complete replacement. Q:How frequently a donor can donate blood? A: Three months time between donations is a very safe interval. Q: Do any diseases debar a donor from giving blood? A: Yes, if the donor has suffered from any of the under-mentioned diseases: - Fever: He should not have suffered from fever for the past 15 days. Jaundice: A donor should not have his blood tested positive for AUSTRALIA ANTIGEN. Blood transmitted diseases: Like Syphilis, Malaria, Filaria etc. debar a donor from donating blood till he is treated and is free from them. Drugs: If a donor is taking drugs like Aspirin, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetics, hormones, corticosteroids etc., he is unfit to donate blood. AIDS: No person having HIV positive can be allowed to donate blood. Q: Are there any other benefits of blood donation? A: Yes, blood donation is a noble, selfless service! It gives the donor a feeling of joy and contentment. Also this is an expression of love for Mankind, as blood knows no caste, colour, creed, religion or race, country, continent or sex. more
Jul 15
Raja Saheb, I once went for blood donation to my relative. They refused to take my blood due to age being more than 60 years and some skin allergies problems. Now my age is 66 years. Can I donate blood? more
Jul 15
Sushima Gopal Marketing Manager Rotary Blood Bank (Circle Administrator) Can you please answer the point raised by Devinder Tandon as follows: "Mr Chandra last year I have gone to donate blood for my friend whose relative was suffering from dengue my blood group matched with the patient but they refused to accept my blood said there is infection in my blood which was Eosinophil ( i.e. related to respiratory problems which I don't have) percentage was high after that I stopped donating blood because that is still high as I read your article in that you have mentioned five different diseases I want to clarify whether that nursing home deliberately refused my blood on that ground to make money or I can not donate blood on this ground my purpose of enquiring is not to take fight with that nursing home but as I was a regular donor I don't want to donate a bad blood knowingly I f you know about this also kindly reply on this subject I will be thankful to you" Can you please call Devinder Tandon to your Rotary Blood Bank and Test his Blood whether he can Donate Blood on a Regular Basis.It is for a noble cause. Thank you. Col. R.R. Chandra. more
Jul 14
Mr Chandra last year I have gone to donate blood for my friend whose relative was suffering from dengue my blood group matched with the patient but they refused to accept my blood said there is infection in my blood which was Eosinophil ( i.e. related to respiratory problems which I don't have) percentage was high after that I stopped donating blood because that is still high as I read your article in that you have mentioned five different diseases I want to clarify whether that nursing home deliberately refuse my blood on that ground to make money or I can not donate blood on this ground my purpose of enquiring is not to take fight with that nursing home but as I was a regular donor I don't want to donate a bad blood knowingly I f you know about this also kindly reply on this subject I will be thankful to you more
Jul 14
