Why are blood donations so important, including during a pandemic? Who benefits from them? And what happens when a person goes to donate blood? To find out, Medical News Today interviewed consultant hematologist Dr. Joel Newman.
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Blood is a precious resource in healthcare the world over. According to data from the American Red Cross, in the United States alone, an estimated 6.8 million people choose to donate blood.
The World Health Organization (WHO) note that, at a global level, blood donation centers collect around 118.5 million blood donations every year.
According to the WHO, in low income countries, children younger than 5 years old are the primary beneficiaries of blood donations, while in high income countries, older adults aged 60 years and above are on the receiving end of most blood transfusions.
But, regardless of where in the world people live, why is it so important that they donate blood if they can? Who benefits from all the transfusions, and why? And why should people keep on donating blood during a pandemic?
To answer these and other questions, Medical News Today interviewed an expert, Dr. Joel Newman, consultant hematologist in the East Sussex Healthcare branch of the National Health Service (NHS), in the United Kingdom.
We have lightly edited the interview transcript for clarity.
MNT: What does the process of donating blood look like?
Dr. Joel Newman: It depends [on] whereabouts you’re giving [blood] and everywhere does it slightly differently, but in general, there’s either a questionnaire or a health check, either on the phone beforehand or physically in the blood donation center.
They want to make sure that you are well, because, sometimes, if people are starting to feel unwell before they donate blood and then a day or two later on, they might become unwell with an infection, there’s always that potential that that infection was in [the] bloodstream at the time of the donation. And, for some blood products, that can be an issue if that’s given through the donation to someone else.
So, it’s just a simple health check to make sure you are well, and well enough to donate blood, because blood donation is a voluntary [act] and, you know, they need to make sure they’re not going to cause you harm by taking blood from you.
There will often be a finger prick test or a blood test from the vein, just to make sure you’re not anemic prior to giving that blood transfusion to make sure they’re not going to cause you more harm by [collecting your blood].
And, as part of that health check, there would be lots of screening questions just to make sure you are in a good position — to make sure you haven’t had any exotic holidays to areas where there might be infections that you might unknowingly pass on, and so on. So there [are] lots different rules about [blood donation].
Once you’ve had your health check, and they’ve checked you’re not anemic, then you’ll sit into a chair. They will often give you a large glass of water to drink beforehand, just to try to improve your blood pressure, so that when they take your blood, it doesn’t make you feel faint or woozy.
They’ll put a cannula into one of [your] arms, and over the course of the next 5 or 10 minutes, take out around 450 to 500 [milliliters] of blood — depending on the location that you’re in — which is a donation of a unit of blood.
Then, they’ll look after you for a good half-an-hour afterward to make sure that you drink some more fluid thereafter, perhaps [offer you] something to eat, likes biscuits or something else to make sure you don’t drop your blood sugar, and if all is [OK], and you’re feeling well, off you go.
So, that’s the general overview for giving blood in most situations.
MNT: Generally speaking, who is eligible to donate blood, and who is not?
Dr. Joel Newman: Because of all the tests that [they] have to do for the first time on someone who’s new to giving blood — so, in terms of checking for viruses and things you may or may not know you have — most blood donation services will have an age limit [for donors].
In the U.K., for example, you can donate from the age of 17 up until around the age of 65 or 70.
Editor’s note: According to the American Red Cross eligibility guidelines, in the U.S., there is no upper age limit for blood donors.
Some people can donate after that; if they’ve been doing it for a long time, they can continue, but [the blood donation centers] wouldn’t normally accept anyone new after that sort of age.
Outside of the age limits, the other things they ask for are to make sure about travel history, to make sure you haven’t traveled anywhere where there are issues [such as outbreaks of viral infections]. There are often restrictions on donating blood samples if you are in an at-risk group for [infections] like HIV, but the testing for that has greatly improved.
Whereas in the U.K., for example, there was a ban on people giving blood if they were at an at-risk group for having HIV, now the testing is so sensitive that the ban is only [for] a 3-month interval after you have been at risk [of contracting the virus] before you can give blood again.
Editor’s note: According to the revised April 2020 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for blood donations, potential donors in the U.S. are advised not to donate blood for 3 months after they have had sex with a man, if they are male, or for 3 months after they have had sex with a man who has had sex with another man if they are female.
Now, if you have other health problems, then there may be restrictions on you giving blood, and that includes whether you have any underlying cancerous processes,