Advantages and disadvantages of donating blood

Angel

Each year, thousands of people rely on receiving donated blood and blood products to stay alive.

Certain injuries and illnesses can quickly cause a person's blood levels to drop. Without enough blood, they will not receive enough oxygen in their body, resulting in death.

Many hospitals and medical centers utilize donated blood to save the lives of their patients.
While a blood donation can be vital for some people, what are the effects on those who donate the blood? In this article, we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of giving blood.

What are the advantages of donating blood?

While donated blood is beneficial for people in need, some medical professionals maintain that donating blood also benefits the donor.

Reduces iron levels

Iron is a mineral that the body needs to produce red blood cells. However, too much iron can be harmful to a person's health. It can deposit into different organs of the body, such as the liver and heart, and affect the way those organs function.

Identifies adverse health effects

 Each person who donates blood completes a simply physical examination and short blood test before giving blood.

As a result, it is possible that a person could identify unknown health concerns as a part of the blood donation process. These health issues could include blood pressure concerns or low blood counts.


A person should never use donating blood to find out if they have any blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV. Instead, they should always go to their doctor with any concerns they have.

Although low blood counts would stop a person from donating, discovering this information could help them pursue more information about their health.

Helps people feel good about themselves

Donating blood has the power to impact up to three people who need the blood to survive.
Knowing that they have made a difference to the lives of others can relieve a person's stress and make them feel mentally well or better about themselves than they did before.

Burns calories

Donating blood burns up to 650 calories per donation, according to the St. Mary's Medical Center, Blue Springs, MO. While giving blood should not be an alternative to exercise, the calories burned might be seen as of occasional benefit by some.

In the right person, blood donation offers many health benefits with few risks. Blood banks usually take every precaution possible to help a blood donor give their blood safely.

Disadvantages of donating blood

When performed in a clean manner, donating blood is safe.
If a blood bank were to reuse needles, this could increase the risk of someone experiencing a blood-borne infection.

For this reason, it is part of routine blood collection to use new needles for each donation and to require every person involved to wash their hands.

The United States Food and Drug Administration monitors blood banks to make sure they are collecting blood safely.

A person can experience some side effects, as a result of donating blood. These include:
  • dizziness
  • feeling faint
  • lightheadedness
  • nausea
These symptoms will usually go away within 3 days of giving blood.
If a person's iron levels seem to be too low after a blood donation, they can increase their intake of iron-filled foods. Foods with high iron content include red meat, spinach, and iron-fortified juices and cereals.

How does blood donation work?

If a person is considering being a blood donor, it is important that they understand the steps involved in the process.

Preparation

Before donating, people must register for donation, complete a medical history, and have a mini-physical examination.

These steps help ensure that a person has not been exposed to diseases that could be spread to others by blood donations.

 The tests also reveal if someone is not a good candidate for giving blood due to personal health concerns. Examples of these issues include low hemoglobin levels or high or low blood pressure.

During the donation

The donor's arm is cleaned with an alcohol prep pad, and a member of the donation team inserts a needle into a vein. The needle is brand-new and sterile.

The needle is attached to a collection tubing and bag, and the blood will flow into the bag until it is full.

According to the American Red Cross, a whole blood donation takes 8-10 minutes on average. If a person is donating a blood product, such as platelets or plasma, this process can take up to 2 hours.

After the donation

When a person has finished donating blood, medical personnel will remove the needle or intravenous catheter, apply pressure with a cotton gauze, and place a bandage over the person's arm.

The donor will usually wait for 10-15 minutes before leaving, during which time they will be encouraged to eat and drink some refreshments.

After the donation, medical teams will take the blood and test it for potential blood-borne diseases. Examples of these include HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis.

The donating organization usually performs more than a dozen tests to ensure the safety of the donated blood.

Donated blood can only last for a certain time and must be used before it expires. As a result, blood banks and hospitals have almost a continuous need for donated blood.

Considerations for potential blood donors

Potential blood donors must meet several requirements before they can give blood. They must be in good health and weight at least 110 pounds.

Age requirements can vary from state to state, but most allow those between the age of 16 and 17 to donate with a parent's permission, as well as anyone older.

If a person does decide to donate blood, they should get a good night's rest before and avoid eating high-fat foods on the day of the testing. High-fat foods may cause false results in some of the tests carried out on the day of giving blood.

Drinking plenty of water before and after blood donation can help a person rebuild fluids they have lost by their donation.

Those who donate platelets, which are the part of the blood that helps in clotting, should not take aspirin before giving blood. This drug thins the blood, and so the donor may have problems if they experience bleeding.

As it takes some time for a person's body to replace the missing blood, most donors cannot give blood sooner than every 56 days.












Popular Posts

Ministers May Ignore The JCVI And Push For Covid Vaccinations For All 12- To 15-Year-Olds

Angel
Image
Ministers could ignore their official vaccine consultants for the first time and push for Covid vaccinations for all 12- to 15-year-olds, after a scientific body ruled that the net health benefit of vaccination was too tiny. Ministers will seek additional data that could help them overturn the watchdog's decision, highlighting a deepening divergence between the government and scientific experts over the next phase of the vaccine campaign. After days of speculation, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) released a statement on Friday saying that while the health benefits of vaccinating the entire age group outweighed the risks, "the margin of benefit is considered too small to support universal vaccination of healthy 12- to 15-year-olds," At this time, the evidence is insufficient to justify universal immunization of healthy 12- to 15-year-olds." On Friday, a line of young people formed in London to get vaccinated. Instead, the group advised expan...
Read more

House Agrees To Lift Debt As Democrats Spar Over Form Of Broader Disbursement Bill

Angel
Image
House Speaker urban center Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tues sought-after to steel Democrats for coming back cuts to their $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending package, stressing the method to whittle away the party’s landmark proposal wouldn't “diminish the transformative nature of what it is.” The revived warning came as negotiations continuing between Democratic lawmakers and also the White House over the longer term of President Biden’s economic agenda.  Showing at her weekly news conference, Pelosi aforementioned there are “important selections to make within the next few days” if they hope to forge a legislative compromise that the fuller party, together with its spending-weary centrists, ultimately will support. “I’m terribly frustrated we’re not going with the initial $3.5 trillion,” Pelosi told reporters. “But no matter we can we will build selections that may still be transformative. Their opposition has go off a manic disorder of talks that progressively have concerned Biden, who in p...
Read more

Queen Elizabeth Was Seen Using Walking Stick For The FIrst Time In Twenty Years

Angel
Image
The Queen has been seen employing a walking stick for support for the primary time as she attended a service at City of Westminster Abbey. The monarch, 95, was pictured using a walking aid at a service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion on Tuesday. She had antecedently been seen using a walking stick in 2003 and 2004 when a knee operation, however it's thought to be the first time she has used one for comfort and not for a specific medical reason. She was handed  the help as she got out of her state limousine, however perceived to be walking freely as she created her approach inside. The cobbled and uneven surface outside the abbey is believed to possess contend an area within the call to use the walking stick. The Queen, who is patron of the soldiers charity, was attended at the event by her daughter, aristocrat Anne, and found the Poet’s Yard entrance instead of the nice West Door, that involves a shorter walk to her seat. Both the walking stick and alter of e...
Read more

The Phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ Is Now A Frequent Sight In America.

Angel
Image
  n the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” commenced to show up everywhere: on front lawns and back bumpers, on NBA players’ warm-up shirts in the course of pregame shoot-arounds, on gamers’ title displays when they fired up “FIFA 20,” on the tongues of longtime activists, college coaches, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). On the chests of Black people declaring their humanity and White people professing their allyship. After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s murder, Lisa Granade, a 40-year-old White woman, finally got around to placing up a signal on her property, in an overwhelmingly White Seattle neighborhood. Granade selected a black flag with a rainbow-colored fist clenched in solidarity, hanging it on a street-facing fence alongside banners assisting LGBTQ rights and opposing gun violence. And that’s how she ended up standing in the front of her residence getting yelled at and called a “racist” through another W...
Read more

Things to know before you say i do

Angel
Image
  1. Redefine marriage:    Begin to see marriage as an act: “Mar ‘D’ Rage”. . Consider that the word “mar” means to spoil or render less useful.Anger is a weapon that can either be channeled negatively or positively. However, when it comes to a serious or marriage relationship you must consciously bring your anger under control or better still, destroy your anger, otherwise it will destroy your marriage. Surrender your rage because no one benefits from the effects of anger. Your spouse will get on your nerves many times, learn to “Mar the Rage” before the rage renders your marriage useless. 2. Establish a true acceptance of our parents and of their relationships.   Some of us were blessed enough to have parents with a very strong and loving relationship. Others were not so lucky. Before getting married, leaving behind any resentment and negativity you feel about your parents’ marriage is really important. Your marriage never has to be your p...
Read more

Boris Johnson Concedes To A Difficult Night For The Conservatives Following Council Losses In The 2022 Election

Angel
Image
The Conservatives have lost over 460 seats and control of 11 municipalities in local elections. In southern England, the party lost support to the Liberal Democrats, and important London councils to Labour. Outside of the city, however, Labour's gains were relatively modest, as the party failed to make a significant breakthrough. Boris Johnson acknowledged that his party had a "difficult" time in some areas, but claimed that the overall results were mixed. With nearly all results in, Labour has gained 144 seats, with leader Sir Keir Starmer stating his party was "on track" to win the next general election. 195 of the 200 councils in England, Wales, and Scotland have declared so far. A handful are anticipated to confirm their results on Saturday, when full results for the Northern Ireland Assembly are also due. Ahead of the elections, the Conservatives had been preparing for huge losses in England, as they faced assaults over the rising cost of living and the ong...
Read more

Terrible shooting occured in Toronto area

Angel
Image
A gunman has opened fire on a busy area in Toronto, killing a young woman and injuring 13 other people, one of them was injured critically, police say. A girl of 8 or 9 years was critically injured in the Canadian city's Greektown district, they said. The attacked happened on Danforth Avenue on Sunday evening, when the area was teeming with people, Canada's Globe And Mail newspaper reports. The suspect is dead, reportedly killed in an exchange of shots. The motive for the shooting, which reportedly targeted a restaurant, is still unclear. Eyewitnesses say they heard rounds of shots, with pauses in between. "It would shoot, there'd be a pause, we heard more shooting, and then a pause and then more shooting," John Tulloch, who was walking on the avenue with his brother at the time, told the paper. "There must've been 20, 30 shots, altogether. It was a lot. We just ran. "People weren't yelling but I think everyone was concerne...
Read more

Am i in a right relationship? Find out.

Angel
Image
Love is one of the most profound emotions known to human beings. There are many kinds of love, but most people seek its expression in a romantic relationship with a compatible partner.  The ability to have a healthy, loving relationship is not innate. In the end there doesn't have to be anyone who understands you. There just has to be someone who wants to.  Fall in love with someone who makes you glad to be different.There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved. Most people are really skeptical about the relationship they are into. Are you anxious to know if you are with the right person at the moment? Find out now. Signs to know if you are in the right relationship You are happy Healthy relationships are full of laughter and fun. This doesn’t mean you’re giddy every hour of the day or that she doesn’t drive you up the wall sometimes but it does mean that your life together is mostly happy in sometimes simple ways.Whenever you are ar...
Read more

In England, An Artificial Pancreas is Set To Revolutionize Diabetes Care

Angel
Image
A potentially life-changing artificial pancreas is being tested in over 900 patients with type 1 diabetes in England. It can replace finger prick tests and prevent life-threatening hypoglycaemic episodes, which occur when blood sugar levels drop too low. The method works by placing a sensor beneath the skin. It continuously monitors the readings, and a pump adjusts the quantity of insulin required automatically. Charlotte, a six-year-old from Lancashire, is one of over 200 youngsters who use the hybrid closed loop device. Ange Abbott, her mother, said that it has had a huge impact on the entire family. "Everything was manual before the loop," she explained. "At night, we'd have to set the alarm every two hours to administer finger pricks and insulin corrections to deal with Charlotte's blood sugar fluctuations." In the United Kingdom, almost 400,000 people have type 1 diabetes, a condition in which the body is unable to generate insulin, the hormone that reg...
Read more

Rwandan man sentenced in US for hiding the fact about his role in genocide

Angel
Image
A Rwandan man has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the US for immigration fraud and perjury after hiding the fact that he was involved in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Jean Leonard Teganya, 47, "was convicted and sentenced for the most serious form of immigration fraud: lying about his status as a war criminal to win asylum in the United States,” said US Attorney Andrew E Lelling, in  a statement issued by the department of justice In just 100 days in 1994, about 800,000 people were slaughtered in Rwanda by ethnic Hutu extremists. They were targeting members of the minority Tutsi community, as well as their political opponents, irrespective of their ethnic origin. Teganya was a medical student in Rwanda at the time of the genocide and was accused of leading teams of soldiers around a hospital and identifying Tutsi patients, the US statement says. "Once discovered, the Tutsis were taken and killed behind the maternity ward," it adds. Teganya fled Rw...
Read more