10 Facts About Blood Donation

10 simple facts about blood donation to encourage more donors.

Blood donation has become an important part of health care programmes around the world. Blood donations are used in standard operations as well as life-saving emergencies, in cancer research, transplant operations and full transfusions for those who suffer from organ diseases. Here are 10 facts about blood donation:

1) What is a blood donation? A donation takes about 10 minutes, with a few forms and questions to answer before donating the whole process takes only an hour out of your time. You will donate about a pint of blood at each visit, this consists of whole blood which contains platelets. Platelets circulate in the blood and help the blood clotting process. The blood you donate can only be kept for a few days and is usually in use within 24 to 48 hours of your donation.

2) How many US donors are there? Less than 40% of the US population is eligible to donate, however, out of those who are eligible, less than 10% donate!! So in the answer to the question – not enough!

3) What are blood groups? Blood is differentiated into groups and into positive and negative Rhesus factors. The groups are: A, B, AB and O, these can be Rhesus negative or Rhesus positive, with group O being the most common donor group. Blood groups are identified by the antigens and antibodies present in the blood. Antigens are usually protein molecules found on the surface of red blood cells. Antibodies are found in the plasma. They are the blood’s natural defence against any foreign antigens.

The ABO system

Blood group A has A antigens in its red blood cells and anti-B antibodies in its plasma.
Group B has B antigens and anti-A antibodies in its plasma.
Group O blood has no antigens but both anti-A and anti-B antibodies. It is the most common blood group.
Group AB has both A and B antigens but no antibodies, as it would destroy itself.
The Rhesus system
The red blood cells sometimes have another antigen, a protein called the Rhesus factor. If this antigen is present, your blood group is Rhesus positive. If it is absent, you are Rhesus negative. This means that you can be one of eight blood groups:

A RhD positive (A+),
A RhD negative (A-),
B RhD positive (B+),
B RhD negative (B-),
O RhD positive (O+),
O RhD negative (O-),
AB RhD positive (AB+),
AB RhD negative (AB-)
4) What are blood donations used for? Approximately 2.7 pints of blood is used for an average transfusion. Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their number of red blood cells, patients with sickle cell disease require numerous blood transfusions, children with cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery all require blood transfusions during procedures as do mothers giving birth with complications. There is no substitute for human blood, therefore it is important for more people to donate a small amount of their time to something so important.

5) How does the body recover after giving a donation? You will be told to drink plenty of fluids after donating, your body will then be able to replace the fluid you have lost within hours. The red blood cells which contain iron will take about 4 weeks to replace, however, by eating iron-rich foods before and after the donation you can assist the process. Foods such as spinach, cereals, red meat (although this should be eaten in moderation) and dried apricots are all high in natural iron content, drinking orange or grapefruit juice or taking Vitamin C supplements with iron rich food will help your body absorb the iron more readily. As long as you are healthy and eat well there should be no adverse affects from the donation and your body will recover rapidly. A healthy adult should be able to donate 3 times a year without any problems.

6) Why don’t more people donate? People who don’t donate give various reasons; including not having enough time and ‘not having thought about it’. But just think, it could be you who needs that blood transfusion one day, even if it is from purely selfish motives, donating blood should be something you do at least once a year. Those who do donate do so from altruistic motives because they want to help others. Skip that movie to donate, you could go with your partner or friends to donate together.

7) Where does blood come from? Blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a protein which contains iron. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. White blood cells make up the defence system of the body and are carried around the body so that they can be transported to the site of infection. The bone marrow produces five different white cells which either attack bacteria or produce antibodies to attack infections. Platelets are also produced in the bone marrow, these help clot the blood to stop people bleeding to death. All three types of blood cell are carried around the body in plasma, a clear liquid made up of water and salts.

Do shortages of blood supply occur? Yes shortages occur during the major holidays during the summer and winter. There are two reasons for this: 1) People are busy with family and friends or travelling to see others and do not have the time to donate. 2) While more people are on the move, accidents are more likely to happen. Therefore donors are unavailable at the same time that more donations are needed. If you already donate, make sure to do so before you go away on holiday, if you don’t donate please try to make the holiday donation the one that is important.

9) Is there any other way to help blood centres than donating? – I don’t like needles! All blood donation services need support in other ways too. You can help by fund-raising, help to publicize events and donation drives, even speaking to your children about blood donation. What about getting your company involved? There is a lot of useful information available about blood donation centres and ways you can get involved without going near a needle.

10) Do donors get paid for their blood donation? NO. Donors do not get paid for donating their blood, this means that voluntary donations are safe for both donor and recipient. As a donor I am looked after very well and enjoy my squash drink and biscuit after making my donation. Staff are always courteous and hard-working. I see it as a privilege to be able to work with these people. By making blood priceless we are keeping it healthy for everybody.