Blood donation
Transfusion of blood takes place every day around the
world. Donating blood is good for health. The donors
should check if they are in good health to eliminate
possible health issues after blood transfusion to those
who use it.
Blood donation usually takes place in a clinic, blood
bank, or hospital.
In order to donate blood, a person needs to
Register themselves
Undergo examination/Medical history
Process of donation
Refreshment
A person needs to be at least 16 years old to donate
blood. A person should have a minimum weight and
must be in good health to donate blood.
Certain blood banks may have more requirements.
Registration is when a person in the blood bank will
sign for an appointment and collect general information
of the donor like name and contact number.
Before the donation process begins, a medical examiner
would ask the donor a few important questions
regarding health and lifestyle. This is done to get an
idea of the overall health of the donor.
A blood test is done to check for various diseases in the
blood. If there are no issues with the blood samples,
then the donor is free to donate blood.
During the donation process, the donor is sent into a
room where he should lie down on a bed.
The medical professional will clean the donor’s arm and
insert a needle into the vein. Later a machine will
remove one unit of blood.
When the process is done the needle is pulled out and
the area is cleaned with cotton and an adhesive strip is
put on the arm.
After every blood donation, it is mandatory that the
blood bank or the hospital would give the donor some
snacks or drink to help the body get back to normal as it
loses some fluid. The doctors also advised 10 to 15
minutes of rest before leaving.
Health benefits of donating blood
Prevents hemochromatosis
Donating blood would reduce the risk of developing
hemochromatosis. This health condition could be
inherited at our cost due to alcoholism, anaemia and
various other disorders.
Blood cell production
After a person donates blood, the body will replenish the
blood loss by stimulating the production of new blood
cells. The new blood cells would help in maintaining a
person’s good health.
Lowering cancer risk
Donating blood helps lower the risk of cancer as the iron
stores in the blood are maintained at healthy levels.
When there is a reduced iron level in the body, it is
linked to lower cancer risk. At the same time, when the
iron is too low in the body, it leads to iron deficiency and
other related health conditions.
Heart and liver health
Donating blood is beneficial as it reduces the risk of
heart and liver ailments which are caused due to iron
overload in the body. When people consume excess food
in the body, they only absorb limited proportions, and
the rest of it gets stored in the heart, liver, or pancreas.
Excess iron present in the body will increase the risk of
developing health conditions like liver failure,
pancreatic damage, or heart abnormalities.
Therefore, by donating blood, the body can maintain the
required levels of iron and reduce the risk of various
health conditions.
To sum up
Donating blood is an excellent way to serve the
community as both the donor and the receiver will reap
health benefits.
Blood donating processes are quick and easy.
Usually, there are no side effects while donating blood.
If a person is a frequent blood donor consulting a doctor
about iron supplements and getting the blood level
normal in the body is mandatory.
