Does blood donation have any impact on health? What are the precautions before and after blood donation?

Do you know these knowledge about voluntary blood donation?

Nowadays, many people are willing to donate blood for free, and we have seen more and more blood donors saving the precious lives of many patients who are in urgent need of blood transfusions with their blood. But when people decide to donate blood, they always hear such voices around them: Don't donate blood, it's bad for your health.

Does donating blood really have an impact on your health? What are the precautions before and after donating blood? Let's take a look!

What is the function of blood?

Blood plays an important role in maintaining life. Whole blood is composed of plasma and blood cells suspended in it. Blood cells are divided into red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells. Red blood cells are the main medium for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide in the human body. White blood cells are our guards, usually called immune cells. Platelets have a hemostatic effect. Plasma is the liquid component of blood. Its main function is to carry blood cells, nutrients and metabolic waste, and at the same time, provide essential nutrients for cell growth. Under normal circumstances, only 80% of the blood in the human body circulates in the arteries and veins to maintain blood pressure and transport oxygen and nutrients. About 20% of the blood is stored in the human "blood bank", such as the spleen. But blood, this precious substance, can only be obtained from healthy people of appropriate age.

Is there an age limit for donating blood?

The state advocates that citizens must be between 18 and 55 years old to participate in voluntary blood donation. For multiple blood donors who have no previous blood donation reactions and meet health examination requirements and voluntarily request to donate blood again, the age limit can be extended to 60 years old.

What are the precautions before and after donating blood?

Do not eat too much or too greasy food the night before donating blood. It is recommended to eat a light diet. Do not drink alcohol 24 hours before donating blood. Do not have a cold or acute gastroenteritis within a week, and do not take special medicines. Women should avoid donating blood during menstruation and the three days before and after. Relax and do not put too much pressure on yourself. Do not stay up late the night before donating blood.

You should pay attention to rest 1 to 2 days after donating blood. You can eat fresh fruits and vegetables, soy products, dairy products, fresh fish and shrimp, meat and eggs, etc., but there is no need to take a lot of supplements and avoid overeating.

Will voluntary blood donation cause anemia?

Hemoglobin combines with oxygen to transport oxygen. Anemia is caused by low hemoglobin, which causes hypoxia in the body, leading to uncomfortable symptoms such as stuffiness and dizziness. Tumors, immune diseases, kidney diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, endocrine diseases, etc. may all cause anemia.

According to the "Health Examination Standards for Blood Donors", the physical examination standard for blood donors in my country before donating blood is hemoglobin>120g/L for men and>115g/L for women. Before participating in voluntary blood donation, blood station staff will measure the hemoglobin content of each blood donor, and only those who meet the physical examination standards are allowed to donate blood. The total blood volume in a normal adult is about 8% of body weight. Each blood donation is 300 to 400 ml, which does not exceed one-tenth of the total blood volume in the human body. After blood donation, the stored red blood cells in the spleen will quickly enter the systemic circulation, which will not cause a decrease in hemoglobin, and the blood volume will quickly return to the level before blood donation.

Therefore, donating blood as required and meeting the health examination requirements for blood donors will not cause anemia.

Is there any risk of contracting disease from donating blood?

Blood donation is carried out under the real-name system, and you must bring your valid ID when donating blood for free. The needles and blood bags used by blood collection institutions across the country are all disposable medical consumables that have passed strict national testing. Blood collection has strict operating procedures and requirements, and strict "one person, one needle" standardized management and operation. Used blood bags, needles and other medical waste must be handled in a unified manner in strict accordance with regulations, and destroyed in a centralized manner, and will not be reused.

Therefore, voluntary blood donation will not cause infection of infectious diseases.

Why blood component transfusion?

Component blood transfusion is an important symbol of scientific use of blood .

Component transfusion means separating the different components of donor blood using scientific methods, and transfusing the relevant blood components according to the actual needs of the patient's condition to achieve the desired treatment goals while minimizing the transfusion of non-essential components. Commonly used component transfusions include red blood cell transfusion, platelet transfusion, plasma transfusion, and cryoprecipitate transfusion.

Blood is a precious resource and should be used efficiently.

In short, it means "transfuse what is lacking". Compared with traditional blood transfusion methods, component blood transfusion has relatively fewer adverse reactions, better efficacy, can reduce transfusion-transmitted diseases, and is easy to store and transport. A portion of blood can be divided into multiple components and transfused to different patients. One blood can be used for multiple purposes and can be comprehensively utilized, saving blood resources.

June 14, 2023 is the 20th World Blood Donor Day. The slogan of the event is "Donate blood, share life"**, and the theme of the event is "Gather the positive energy of youth, donate blood for free and spread love". Donate a piece of blood, donate a piece of love, donate blood for free, give hope to life! Donate blood for free and spread positive energy to society!

Healthy China Action Spokesperson Associate Chief Physician