Blood donation. What are the benefits of donating and how it can save lives

It might seem counterintuitive that donating blood also helps the donor, but the benefits are clear: from boosting immunity to reducing the risk of paralysis and stroke by up to 30%.

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year on June 15, being marked by various events and campaigns where people are encouraged to donate blood. The National Institute of Blood Transfusion (INTS) launched this year the national campaign to raise awareness of the permanent need for blood and blood products “Giving wings to generations of donors”. Also, the HEM Association, whose only initiative is the National Program “We have no blood”, is organizing on June 15 the fourth edition of the #bloodfluencer Marathon, the only running event dedicated exclusively to the promotion of blood donation. Such campaigns are essential in our country. Even if 7 out of 10 urban Romanians associate donating blood with life, there are only about 250,000 active donors, but the need for blood is much greater. In fact, we need about 500,000 donors annually to cover hospital requirements, according to the HEM Association. And the need for blood is even greater during the summer and during the holidays, when the number of donors drops by 20%. The need for blood is constant, especially since blood and its components cannot be stored for very long periods of time, so it is essential that people donate consistently throughout the year.

The benefits of donating blood

When was the last time you saved a life? In just 10 minutes you can change a person's destiny. Donating whole blood can be done very easily, being a process that takes between 8 and 10 minutes. That's how little it takes to change the course of a lifetime or even more. But this saving gift also has great advantages for the donor, especially in terms of his health. “The blood is refreshed, the body's immunity increases, the risk of paralysis and stroke is reduced by 30%. A plus? After donating blood, the body's resistance to shocks increases, so if you have an accident, the body's reaction will help the doctors, as it is already used to blood loss and its replacement”, it is mentioned on the official website of the Central Military Emergency University Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila”.

Also, those who donate blood periodically benefit from a free iron replacement treatment, in case “an iron deficiency or any anemic syndrome due to repeated donations is detected”. At the same time, the periodic donor has the right to a radiological and a biological consultation free of charge every year, and in some cases even a cardiological one. However, with each donation, the blood is subjected to specific immuno-hematology analyzes and detection of blood-transmissible agents or diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), but not only. The results of these analyzes are also transmitted to the donor. On request, once a year, he can also benefit from a completely free set of biochemistry analyses.

Romania, the tail of the European Union

Although there are also advantages for the donor, beyond the heroic aspect of saving a life, statistics show that Romania is among the last countries in the European Union (EU) in terms of blood donation. However, the number of donors has increased constantly in recent years (except for 2020 and 2021 when there were decreases due to the COVID-19 pandemic), but did not exceed the peak reached in 2019: over 426,000 donors, according to the data of the National Institute of Blood Transfusion (INTS). At European level, Italy, France and Germany are the countries with the largest number of donors, according to the European Blood Alliance (EBA). At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) places Romania in the red zone in terms of the share of the number of donors, i.e. below 2%, well below the European average, which is approximately 4%.

The need for blood at the national level is constant, and the state tries to encourage donors through meal vouchers, but also other advantages such as a certificate for transport, with a 50% discount on the subway and STB, a paid day off from work or a certificate for school/college. At the beginning of this year, there was an increase in the number of donations after the Minister of Economy and Finance, Marcel Boloș, announced that the value of the vouchers offered as a result of the donation reached 280 lei, being four times higher than in previous years, when it did not exceed 67 lei. So, in the first week of 2024 (January 5-12), there were more than 3,000 presentations for donation at the national level, according to INTS. Gradually, the number of presentations decreased, but this wave of donations showed the shortcomings of the donation system, namely the lack of technology or storage capacity, but also that of personnel in certain centers. At the same time, in some centers the maximum capacities for blood storage of certain groups have been reached.

Beyond the wave of donations at the beginning of the year, there is a continuous need for blood due to the short life of the components, some of which can only be stored for 5 days, as is the case with platelets. “So far no substitute for blood has been discovered, so donation is the only solution to be able to meet the needs of blood and blood elements necessary for transfusion therapy. Doctors and surgeons rely on blood donations to perform a range of interventions every day that save or extend people's lives.”it is mentioned on the website of the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center (CTSB).

Steps to saving a life

Specialists recommend donors to be well rested and hydrated before donating, and smokers to not smoke an hour before collection. It is essential that donors are in good physical and mental health, as well as good personal hygiene, as “blood donation, being a medical act, must be treated from the point of view of body hygiene as for a minor surgical intervention”, according to CTSB. At the same time, in the morning before the blood collection, the donor can consume a cup of tea or coffee, a small breakfast based on vegetables and fruits.

Once at the collection center, the donor must complete a self-exclusion questionnaire and sign it. This information is entered into the system, and then a worksheet and donor booklet are issued. Afterwards, the donor or potential donor is directed to the consulting room, where the self-exclusion questionnaire is evaluated by the medical assistant, the weight and temperature are measured and recorded in the database, the actual clinical examination, the predonation biological control (Hb determination, blood sugar, determination of blood group, Rh), EKG if needed. After the completion of these procedures, the donor is directed to the collection compartment, where 450 milliliters of blood are collected in an interval of 8-10 minutes.

Post-donation recommendations

Doctors recommend donors to rest for 15-30 minutes in the waiting room, to avoid intense physical exertion for the next 12 hours, as well as driving, drinking alcohol, and smoking immediately. It is also recommended to drink plenty of fluids, as well as a diet rich in animal protein. Moreover, the amount of donated blood, namely the 450 milliliters, is restored as a volume in 60 minutes, and at the cellular level in two to three weeks.

Whole blood is usually used in cases of acute blood loss (following an accident or during surgery). “After collection, the three major components – platelets, plasma and red blood cells – are separated so that they can be transfused to multiple patients with different needs. Rarely does a person need whole blood”, according to the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center. So, through a single blood donation, a person can actually save several lives.

How often can you donate blood?

In addition to donating whole blood, you can also donate plasma, also called apheresis. In this type of donation, a cell separator is used, and the various blood components are sorted, being collected only the necessary one – plasma. The other blood components are reintroduced into the donor's body. Compared to donating whole blood, collecting plasma is a longer process, between 50 and 60 minutes. At the same time, only platelet donation can be done.

Regarding the number of whole blood donations, a man can donate at most five times in a year, and a woman three to four times. Also, the interval between two apheresis plasma donations (plasmapheresis) must be two weeks, and the interval between a plasmapheresis session and a whole blood donation must be four weeks. Those who have donated whole blood and want to later donate plasma must wait at least one month.

Limitations and preconceptions

Although there are also benefits for donors, and the need for blood is acute and constant, it seems that 56% of Romanians are afraid to donate, according to a study carried out in 2023 by the Romanian Society of Marketing and Public Opinion Research (SORMA) in partnership with Smart Society Association, founder of the Donorium application. At the same time, 7% of Romanians would not donate regardless of the situation. However, 93% of those who have not donated so far could be sensitized and motivated to do so, according to the cited source. Although in recent years the number and extent of information campaigns about donating blood have increased, it seems that 37% of Romanians in urban areas have not heard of any campaign, and 82% of Romanians do not know the applications that facilitate scheduling to donate blood.

One of these apps is Donorium, founded by the Smart Society Association. It facilitates blood donation both through quick appointments made in the app at the nearest center and through calls for blood donation launched by various medical units based on urgency. So even though you donate in a city, your blood can save the life of a person tens of kilometers away. Also, within the application you can register a patient who needs blood, so that users can donate directly to this person. At the same time, within the application, each user is given a certain title based on the number of donations, friends they have convinced to donate and responses to donation calls launched within the application.

Conditions to be a blood donor

• age between 18-60 years and weight over 50 kilograms

• regular pulse, 60-100 beats/minute

• systolic blood pressure between 100 and 180 mmHg

• not to have undergone surgery in the last 6 months

• women should not be: pregnant, during the period of menstruation, during the menstrual period

• not have consumed fats or alcoholic beverages at least 48 hours before donation

• not to be under treatment for various conditions: hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, mental illness, liver disease, endocrine disease

• must not have or have had certain diseases: hepatitis (of any type), TB, syphilis, malaria, epilepsy and other neurological diseases, mental diseases, brucellosis, ulcers, diabetes, heart diseases, skin diseases (psoriasis, vitiligo), strong myopia over (-) 6 diopters, cancer.