Blood Donation and Save Lives – Learn How to Donate Blood

“Blood donation is a voluntary process in which a person donates blood willingly to save someone’s life. By donating blood, you can help someone in a life-threatening situation. Another benefit is that you will be screened for your health. Here are some benefits of donating blood.”

• You will come to know your hemoglobin level, platelets, and white blood cells.
• You will be screened for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and some other infectious diseases as well.
• Your blood pressure will be checked.
• You will come to know your weight according to your age.
• Your blood group will be checked if not checked prior. This screening is done free of cost in almost all centers.

Who can Donate Blood?

Moreover, for blood donation, not everyone is eligible; there is a set of criteria for the donor.

• The donor must be over 16 years old.
• Weight must be above 50 kilograms.
• It would help if you did not have any symptoms of fever, which can be a sign of any infection in your body.
• A person is physically fit and does not have any history of infectious diseases such as HIV or hepatitis C.

Who Can not Donate Blood? (Blood Donation)

The following donors are not fit for blood and blood product donation.

• A person with a positive history of hepatitis C, Hepatitis b, and HIV. A person who is willing to donate blood should be screened first before donating blood.
• A person with a history of cancer or kidney disease.
• A person who is on steroid therapy.
• A person with uncontrolled diabetes.
• A person with skin infections or skin lesions. In case of a skin infection, it could transfer to the blood when the vein is punctured for a blood draw.
• A person on blood-thinning medications cannot donate; however, he can donate if medications are stopped for at least 7 days.
• A person with drug abuse cannot donate blood. This is because the drug levels in the blood of the donor may harm the recipient.
• A person with a weight of less than 50 kilograms is unfit for blood donation.

Benefits of Blood Donation

The following are the benefits of donating blood

Improves Mental Health and Decreases Depression,

Furthermore, Researchers say that after donating blood and helping save someone’s life, one feels mental satisfaction and happiness that has a positive impact on one’s mental health, which decreases the risk of getting depression.

Lowering blood pressure: Blood Donation

A decrease in blood volume after donation helps in lowering blood pressure. People with high hemoglobin levels can safely donate blood in a blood donation center instead of throwing it away. Furthermore, donating blood regularly maintains their Hemoglobin levels.

Decreases the Risk of Heart Diseases: Blood Donation

Furthermore, donating blood regularly lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. This happens due to lowering blood volume, as in patients with high blood volume, which can cause blood clotting and high risk for high blood pressure, which are risk factors for diseases such as stroke due to clotting of blood in the arteries of the brain and heart, leading to stroke and heart attack.

What to do Before Donating Blood?

• Before going to the hospital or blood donation center, stay hydrated by drinking more fluids and juices. So that your blood pressure will be maintained.
• Have a full meal.
• Try to take a bath so your skin will be clean.
• Avoid fatty and oily food.
• Do not take medication; if you are on anti-hypertensive or other medications, you must inform the health care team. If medications are taken before blood donation, there are two risks: first, the donor may experience a drop in blood pressure during or after the donation. The second serious problem could be that, as the medication will be in the blood, and if the blood is transfused to the patient, the effects of the medication might harm the patient.
• Wear clothes with loose sleeves, so that the health care providers can assess your veins and draw blood easily without any difficulty.

During Blood Donation:

You will be seated in a comfortable chair while your healthcare provider assesses your vein and inserts a large-bore needle into your vein to draw blood. The bag attached to the needle will be placed at a level lower than your arm and will fill up in a few minutes.

Once the required amount of blood is collected, your healthcare provider will remove the needle and apply a pressure dressing to stop any bleeding. After donating, it’s important not to stand up immediately.

After the completion of blood donation, sit for five to ten minutes and then stand up slowly. Standing up too quickly after the procedure can cause fainting due to a drop in blood volume and blood pressure.

After Blood Donation:

After blood donation, again take fluids, mainly juices, and an energy drink. This is necessary to maintain a normal blood pressure and sugar level. During blood donation, the sugar levels and blood pressure could drop.

•   Take some rest for around 2- 3 hours.
• Do not remove the bandage; immediately remove it at least 3- 5 hours later.
• If you feel any sign or symptom, like low blood pressure, contact the blood center.

Conclusion:

Blood donation is a safe process with wonderful benefits. So, I encourage everyone to donate blood regularly. It has no harm to the donor. Instead, there are fewer risks and more benefits, which include lowering blood pressure, having an ideal weight, mental satisfaction, and doing good for others.

However, in many developing countries, where the people have a lot of false information and awareness of blood donation, people hesitate to donate blood. At the end, it’s important to note that one can donate blood every 56 days (almost 8 weeks) and can donate platelets every 7 days.

If someone is a regular blood donor, they can take some iron supplements between blood donations. These supplements help in recovering from the iron loss and also help in the production of new blood cells.