Blood Donation Side Effects

Blood donation refers to the act of drawing blood from the body of a healthy person and then transfusing it in the body of a needy person. Blood donation is considered as a noble act, as your blood can actually save the life of a needy patient. Blood donation camps are organized, in order to create more awareness among masses regarding the need for blood donation. The blood donated at these camps or centers is then processed and various components of the blood are separated. Most large hospitals have their own blood collection and processing centers. The processed blood is then stored in refrigerated form, until the need arises.

Initially, there was a lot of misconception regarding blood donation. It was considered as a medium of transfusion of diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, etc. This prevented many people from donating their blood. However, people have realized that blood donation is absolutely safe as safety measures are implemented at various stages of blood donation. Firstly, the donor is asked to complete all the formalities, which decide if he is fit to donate blood or not. Next, his blood is tested to check if it is safe and fit for transfusion. Also, while drawing blood from the donor's vein, a disposable syringe is used so as to prevent any chances of contamination. Thus, safety in all terms is executed while blood donation.

Blood Donation Guidelines
To avoid any issues resulting from blood donation, Federal Government drafted certain guidelines, to be observed by the donor. These include -

• The donor should be healthy.
• The donor should be at least 17 years of age.
• The donor should weigh at least 110 pounds.
• The donor should not have donated blood within the past 8 weeks (less in case of apheresis donations).
• The donor should not be on antibiotics or any blood thinning drugs.

The guidelines may vary slightly, as per the individual states, however, the crux remains the same. If these guidelines are not followed, either the donor or the recipient may suffer. In fact, these guidelines are mainly for the donor's own benefit, so as to avoid any effects of blood donation.

Blood Donation Side Effects
Healthy donors can donate about 1 unit (pint) of blood volume. This lost blood is replenished by the body within a day. Also, the bone marrow replaces the lost blood cells within a couple of weeks. It is common to experience slight dizziness or lightheadedness after blood donation. However, these effects subside on their own, within a short while. Blood donation side effects are most prevalent among teenagers. In fact, about 11% teens are likely to face blood donation side effects. Adults are less likely to suffer any kind of side effects of blood donation. However, the symptoms reported by some donors are as follows:

• Fainting and falling.
• Sweating and chills.
• Stiffness in joints.
• Stress.
• Nausea and convulsions.
• Tingling sensation in lips or nose.

These side effects are of temporary nature and subside in a day or two. However, if the problem persists, one should consult a physician.

Blood Donation Types and Side Effects
Apart from whole blood transfusion, there are some other types of blood donations. Collectively, they are known as Automated Blood Collection (ABC) processes.

Apheresis
This is the process in which only platelets are separated from the donor while the rest of the blood goes back to the donor. This process is long, lasting for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Initially, the whole blood is drawn from the body and sent for processing. After the platelets are separated, the plasma and rest of the blood cells are transfused back in the donor's body. Blood donation side effects for this process are few, as most of the fluid goes back into the body.

Alyx Blood Donation
It is also called double red blood cell donation. Alyx blood donation side effects are minimum. This type of donation allows the donor to donate 2 units of blood volume at a go. However, the red blood cells are separated from the blood and the rest of the fluid goes back to the donor. This is pretty similar to apheresis, except this is a continuous process. Blood that is drawn from the donor's body goes to an attached machine, which separates the red blood cells and sends the fluid back. Double red blood cell donation side effects are minimized due to fluid replacement as well as smaller size of the syringe. Also, the continuous process makes it a smaller session, of about 25 minutes.

Plasmapheresis
This process is similar to the other two described above. The only difference is that in this case, plasma is separated from blood as a donating component. The rest of the blood components are transfused back in the body of the donor. Plasma donation side effects are somewhat similar to whole blood donation side effects.

Blood donation side effects can be minimized by taking proper precautions before blood donation. This includes taking ample fluids and eating well. Also, a good night's sleep is a must before and after blood donation.