Intriguing Ways You Can Help Society by Donating Blood

A man donating his blood.

According to the American Red Cross, someone in America needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. This statistic really signifies how crucial it is for healthy individuals to donate blood and help society. The benefits of donating blood are many, including helping people battle blood diseases, undergoing cancer treatment, being injured in accidents, etc. Nevertheless, blood donation also allows the donors to enjoy several health benefits. Continue reading this article to understand how blood donations help society fight harmful diseases and improve overall health outcomes for donors.

How Blood Donations Improve the Health Concerns of a Society

Blood is vital for human survival. In this context, blood donors are like a lifeline for millions of patients.

According to the director of transfusion medicine in a reputable medical center, “Donating blood saves lives.” Another associate director of transfusion medicine at Columbia University adds, “Giving blood is a way to engage in the immediate community and help people around you. People who donate blood engage with their community and tend to have better health and live longer lives.”  

While donating blood brings a sense of pride and contentment to people, it also improves their health concerns and minimizes their risk for various diseases. Considering the current stats of blood transfusions in America, you might need blood at some point in your life. Therefore, it’s an essential duty of every American citizen to donate blood.

Is Blood Donation Safe?

Unfortunately, many individuals are unsure of the blood donating practice as they believe it’s unsafe and can put them at risk of infections. In reality, blood donation doesn’t induce any adverse effects in the donor’s body.

An average donor gives about 10-12% of their total blood volume with each donation. Healthy adults can donate their blood regularly and safely after the mandatory screening. In some cases, blood donation can even reduce your stress levels, improving your overall wellbeing. Although you might experience dizziness after donating blood, the symptoms soon wear off within a few minutes of the donation cycle. Utilize home blood draw services if you wish to keep your blood donation practice private and free from hassle.

Health Benefits of Donating Blood

1. Healthier Heart and Cardiovascular Activity

 

Regular blood donation controls blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart attacks. People with higher hemoglobin levels should donate blood to lower their blood viscosity, which is commonly associated with strokes, heart attacks, and blood clot formations.

2. Hereditary Hemochromatosis

Individuals suffering from hereditary hemochromatosis can also improve their wellbeing by donating blood regularly. It’s a condition that requires regular blood removal to prevent excessive iron buildup in the human body. The good part is that this blood can help several other patients. If you or anyone you know has hereditary hemochromatosis and is tired of driving down to the clinic each time, you can contact mobile phlebotomy services Baltimore to draw your blood from the comfort of your home. Phlebotomy on Wheels provides convenient and fast blood withdrawal services, ensuring your blood is used to save lives.

3. Timely Checkups

Blood donations allow donors to maintain their wellbeing by having timely checkups. Many individuals are unaware of their blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol levels until they donate their blood. The mandatory screening required before every blood donation can help you identify health issues before they become serious.

Furthermore, you can also learn about your blood type if you’re planning to donate blood for the first time. This information may seem insignificant but can help you out in an emergency if you ever need a blood transfusion yourself.

How Your Blood Donation Can Help Others

Blood donations help people of all ages every day. Whether they are battling cancer, require an organ transplant, or are victims of burns and accidents, you can help various patients by donating blood. Here’s how your blood donation can reduce the health concerns for the society:

1. Cancer Patients

Blood donations have saved the lives of many patients, including those who have cancer. Cancer patients undergo extensive treatments and procedures. Regular chemotherapy and radiations reduce their red blood cells and platelet count and prevent them from producing healthy blood. However, not all cancer patients require a blood transfusion. Those suffering from bone marrow cancers, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or leukemia have higher chances of hindered blood cell production. This is because cancer cells specifically target places where new blood cells are produced. Therefore, blood donations can help these cancer patients increase their platelet count.

Although rare, blood transfusions can also help people with colon, lung, prostate, or breast cancer. Not only does it support their blood supply, but it also reduces the treatment’s side effects drastically. The ideal blood types required to donate platelets to cancer patients are:

2. Patients Undergoing Trauma

According to a study, five million deaths happen every year globally due to traumatic injuries. Traumatic injuries are caused by penetrating or blunt external forces that can put an individual’s life at risk. Penetrating traumatic injuries refer to being shot or stabbed with a sharp object, whereas blunt trauma includes burns, assaults, crash injuries, road traffic crashes, and falls. While some traumatic injuries are uncomfortable and painful, they can be easily treated at home after consulting a general physician. Other severe cases may require patients to be admitted to the hospital for rehabilitation and treatment. Those who have lost blood excessively following a trauma injury might also need blood transfusions to recover completely.

In this context, patients who experience traumatic injuries require healthy red blood cells to ensure oxygen reaches every part of their body. Doctors usually transfuse AB plasma to stop the bleeding post a traumatic injury immediately. Thus, the ideal blood types required to treat a traumatic injury are

3.  Sickle Cell Disease

The American Red Cross states that sickle cell disease, also known as sickle cell anemia, affects thousands of people in America. It’s a hereditary chronic condition that reduces oxygen-rich blood in the body, causing severe organ damage that may result in death. Patients with sickle cell disease require several blood transfusions to survive.

The donated blood must match the patient’s blood type closely to avoid complications later. Therefore, blood donations used to treat such patients are mainly of African descent since this disease is more common in Black individuals. The ideal blood type for helping patients with sickle cell diseases is Type O, particularly from donors of the same ethnicity or race.  

4. Burn Patients

In America, over 3 million people are transfused with 11 million units of red blood cells annually. People with severe burn injuries require blood transfusions due to increased destruction of red cells, reduced red cell production, surgical blood loss, and excessive blood testing. A couple of weeks after a burn injury, a patient might experience acute blood loss anemia. Other sources of blood loss following a burn injury can result from direct erythrocyte damage, red blood cell (RBC) sequestration, or concurrent traumatic injury. In this context, your blood might help burn patients maintain their blood pressure and vital functionality effectively.

The ideal blood types required to provide burn patients with healthy plasma are:

If you need to find out your blood type, reach out to mobile phlebotomy services near you. Learning about your blood group will help you establish who you can help in an emergency and vice versa.

5. Anemia of Chronic Disease

Any illness lasting for more than three months and causing inflammation can lead to anemia of chronic disease. Chronic inflammation affects your body’s ability to utilize the iron required to produce healthy red blood cells. Patients who have anemia lack sufficient red blood cells and require blood transfusions occasionally.

According to a recent study, about 1 million older adults in America have anemia of inflammation. Individuals who experience anemia are 65 years or older. Diseases that contribute to this condition include:

If you or anyone you know has anemia of chronic illness, you might need regular blood transfusion practices to overcome fatigue, exhaustion, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, weakness, and sweatiness. If you feel too tired to drive down to the medical lab for tests, opt for mobile blood testing near you.

Anyone can donate blood to help patients experiencing anemia of chronic diseases. A single blood donation can help multiple patients suffering from this condition. All blood types are equally important. Therefore, individuals should come forward and donate their blood to help maintain a healthier society.

Blood Donation Guidelines

Refer to the following guidelines if you plan on donating blood and helping other people survive:

Risks Associated with Blood Donation

Although the practice of blood donation is healthy and can help you fight off various diseases, you might experience some symptoms such as:

The Bottom Line

Phlebotomy on Wheels is a mobile lab testing service operating in Maryland that provides quick and affordable mobile blood draw services VA in the comfort of your homes. Contact them today to schedule an appointment or email them at info@mobilebloodlabs.com. Visit their website to learn more about their services.

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