Dr. Ravi Kshirsagar
3 min read
Blood donation is a noble cause and also one of the best ways to know UR body well. Some medical professionals state that donating blood regularly can have a positive impact on health. Donating blood doesn’t necessarily need a reason. It’s more about the vast difference you make in people’s lives. So, knowing what to expect before and after blood donation, can help you prepare for the process.
Importance Of Blood Donation
Blood donation aims as a voluntary practice that helps those in need of blood transfusion due to an illness or accident. Massive loss of blood can cause an unfortunate death if the requirement isn’t fulfilled immediately. While saving a life is the most highlighted part of donating blood, what makes it essential is the advantages it has on donor’s health. On average, a person can donate up to 4 – 5 litres of blood, after every third month for men and every four months for women.
Advantages Of Blood Donation
- Prevents hemochromatosis
- Maintains healthy heart & liver
- Weight loss
- Anti-cancer
- Reveals potential health problems
- Reduces harmful iron stores
- Stimulates blood cell production
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Who Can Give Blood?
Everyone can give blood if their health condition is excellent. Before you decide to donate blood, these are a few essential things you must keep in mind:
- Age
- Weight
- Health
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
Your age should be between 18-65 with at least 50 kgs of weight and not less than that. Health is an essential factor because it is risky to donate blood. Especially if you have an infection or have a chronic ailment such as diabetes if you have recently got a tattoo you can’t donate blood for at least a year. In case of dental procedures, your eligibility for donating blood will depend on how long the process was and how long has it been since you underwent it. If you visited the dentist for a minor procedure, you should wait 24 hours before donating. It is not good idea to donate blood while breastfeeding. Have regular blood pressure and temperature before blood donation.
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Knowing what to expect before, during & after blood donation, can help you prepare for the process.
Mandatory Tests & Medical Evaluation
Before donating blood, you must undergo a physical examination, to check for any other signs of illnesses or conditions. All donated blood will be screened for blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and HIV.
Vital signs –The temperature, blood pressure and pulse of a donor are checked before donating blood. Individuals with high BP, fever, high or low heart rate and who have an irregular heartbeat are temporarily not permitted to donate blood.
Blood test – A small blood sample is taken from a finger stick and tested, to check for the number of red cells or the haemoglobin level in the blood. This is done to ensure that the donor is not anaemic, or most likely to become anaemic after they donate. Individuals with low haemoglobin are temporarily not permitted to donate.
Many of us think that donating blood is harmful for health, but it has many advantages. Apart from just being noble for the society, blood donation justifies the saying “charity begins at home.” You’re only doing good to yourself by donating blood. So, don’t hesitate to donate blood.
