Blood Donation FAQ

Blood Donation in the form of Question and answer

Is it safe to have blood transfusion?

Blood transfusion saves millions of lives each year, but only if safe blood supply is guaranteed as receiving transfused blood has increased risk to being affected by HIV and a number of other infections. Diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and several STDs can also be transmitted through transfusion.

Can I receive my own blood ?

Your own blood is the safest blood for your transfusion needs

Voluntary Donation of Blood

 Who can?

A donor should :

• Be above 18 years and below 60 years of age.
• Have a haemoglobin count that is not less than 12.5 g/dl
• Weigh not less than 45 kgs
• Have normal body temperature at the time of donation
• Have normal BP at the time of donation
• Should be free of any disease at the time of donation

How often?

Donating blood over thrice a year is not recommended. Wait at least 56 days between donations.

Where?

At licensed blood banks and blood donation camps.
 
Is blood donation harmful?

No, if it is at properly spaced intervals and is donated at licensed blood banks/camps. Many donors have given blood over 50 times, up to four times a year, without any harm to their health. If you are healthy, you can give blood every 56 days.

Can you get HIV by donating blood?

it is safe to give blood. You cannot contract any diseases through blood donation if the needle and other clinic materials used to take blood are new, sterile and used only once.

 Who should not donate blood?

The following categories of people should avoid giving blood:

1. Pregnant or lactating women, or those who have recently had an abortion.
2. Persons who are on steroids, hormonal supplements or certain specified medication
3. Persons with multiple sexual partners or those who are addicted to drugs
4. Persons who have had an attack of infection like jaundice, rubella, typhoid or malaria.
5. Persons who have undergone surgery in the previous six months.
6. Persons who have consumed alcohol in the 24 hours prior to donation
7. Women should avoid donation during their menstruating period.
8. Those who have undergone various vaccinations should avoid donation for the corresponding period specified below:

Type of Vaccine     The period in which donation should be avoided.

Hepatitis B            6 months

Live vaccines        2 weeks

Killed vaccines     48 Hours

Rabies                   1 year

9. Persons with any systemic disease like heart disease, kidney disease, liver problems, blood disorders or asthma should NOT donate blood.
10. Persons suffering from infections transmitted through transfusions like HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis etc should Not donate blood.

How much blood is taken at the time of donation? How soon does the body make good this loss?

Only 350 ml of blood is taken at the time of donation. An average person has 5-6 litres of blood in the body.

In terms of volume the loss is corrected in 24-48 hours by the body. The red cell count is corrected in about 56 days.

How long does the process of donation take?

The actual bleeding time is about 5-6 minutes. There will be a medical check up before this and you will be advised some rest ( for 5-10 minutes) and given some refreshment after donation. The whole process takes about 30 minutes.

Are there any hazards in blood donation? What are the precautions that need to be taken?

Your health will not suffer because of the blood you have donated. In fact, the bone marrow is stimulated to produce new cells.

However if conditions are not hygienic, you may be exposed to infection.

Precaution: Be sure that disposable needles are used for bleeding.

What happens to the blood that is donated?

The blood is screened for the following diseases/infections:

• HIV
• Hepatitis B & C
• Syphilis
• Malaria

The blood is grouped and stored either as whole blood or as components like Packed red blood cells, plasma or platelets. This is then sent on demand to hospitals.

How is Blood Grouped?

The most common type of grouping is the ABO grouping. Red Blood Cells have a protein coat on their surface which distinguishes them. According to this blood is divided into four groups:

A (A protein is present), B (B protein is present),AB (AB protein is present)and O ( No protein is present).

There are subtypes under this grouping ( listed as A1, A2, A1B or A2B…) some of which are quite rare.

Apart from this there is another protein which plays an important part in the grouping of blood. This is called the Rh factor. If this is present, the particular blood type is called positive. If it is absent, it is called negative. Thus we have the following broad categories:

      A1 Negative
      A1 Positive
      A1B Negative
      A1B Positive
      A2 Negative
      A2 Positive
      A2B Negative
      A2B Positive
      B Negative
      B Positive
      O Negative
      O Positive

For more detailed information on Blood transfusion CLICK HERE