Donor blood transfusion has a history of almost a century. Despite the fact that this procedure is quite familiar to many people, the process of donating blood is still surrounded by numerous myths. Today we set out to debunk the most common of them.
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Donating blood is harmful to health
The amount of blood circulating in the body of an adult is on average 4000 ml. It has been proven that the periodic loss of 12% of this volume not only does not have a negative effect on health, but also works as a kind of training that activates hematopoiesis and stimulates resistance to stress.
The volume of a one-time donation of donor blood does not exceed 500 ml (of which about 40 ml is taken for the purpose of testing). The body quickly replaces blood loss without any negative consequences.
The blood donation procedure is painful and tiring
Modern donor centers are equipped with everything necessary to make the person donating blood feel comfortable. The donor's discomfort is reduced to instant pain at the moment of needle insertion. The further procedure is absolutely painless.
Donating whole blood takes about a quarter of an hour. After its completion, the donor may experience slight fatigue, so on the day of the procedure it is not recommended to engage in heavy physical labor or go on a long trip. Donating blood components (plasma, platelets or red blood cells) can take up to an hour and a half.
There is a risk of donor infection
Many people believe that the donor is at risk of getting one of the dangerous blood-borne infections (for example, hepatitis C virus or HIV). Currently, this is absolutely excluded: only disposable instruments and devices are used for blood collection, which are unpacked in the presence of the donor, and after the procedure they are immediately disposed of.
The need for donor blood is low
Patients undergoing complex surgical operations, women in labor with complicated childbirth, and people with severe injuries or burns need blood transfusions. Donor blood and its components are used in the treatment of leukemia and other oncological diseases. There are artificial blood and plasma substitutes, but their use has a number of contraindications, as they sometimes lead to negative side effects.
To fully provide the healthcare system with the required amount of blood, 40-50 people out of 1000 must be donors. In some European countries This ratio has been achieved, but in Russia this figure is still significantly below the norm.
According to statistics, every third person on our planet needs a blood or plasma transfusion at least once in their life. At the same time, the blood of absolutely all groups is in demand, and not just rare ones, as is sometimes believed.
Anyone can become a donor
This is far from true. In Russia you cannot become a donor:
- under the age of 18 or over 60 years of age;
- having a body weight of less than 50 kg;
- being infected with hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus or tuberculosis;
- having any blood disorders or diseases of the blood (blood-forming organs);
- suffering from cancer.
Temporary restrictions on blood donation apply:
- for pregnant women (blood will be accepted no earlier than one year after birth);
- for nursing mothers (they can become donors three months after the end of lactation);
- for women during menstruation (blood donation is allowed at least a week before it starts or a week after it ends);
- for people who had the flu or ARVI less than a month ago;
- for patients who have undergone dental surgery (at least ten days must pass);
- for people who were treated with acupuncture less than a year ago, or who had a tattoo (piercing) of any part of the body;
- for patients who have recently undergone vaccination (the period elapsed before donating blood depends on the type of vaccine and ranges from ten days to a year).
In addition, an exemption from donation can be obtained if tests on the day of the procedure show the presence of inflammatory process or traces of alcohol, increased body temperature, or if there are serious deviations from normal blood pressure readings. Men can donate blood no more than five times a year, and women - four times a year.
Donating blood for transfusion requires a responsible attitude. Two days before the procedure, the donor must give up alcoholic beverages. You should refrain from smoking for at least an hour before blood collection. Three days before the procedure you must stop taking medicines that reduce blood clotting (including aspirin and painkillers).
The donor should eat high-calorie foods before and after the procedure
The day before donating blood, you should not eat fatty, dairy, meat foods, eggs, smoked foods, chocolate, bananas, canned food and fast food.
It is important that the future donor does not make mistakes that could negatively affect his health. It is better to donate blood in the first half of the day. Before the procedure, you need to get a good night's sleep, have breakfast, preferring porridge or pastries and sweet tea. After donating blood, you should eat a balanced diet (at least five times a day if possible) and remember to drink plenty of fluids to replace blood loss.
Donating blood may cause weight gain
Donation itself (including regular donation) does not affect body weight in any way. There is a risk of gaining weight for those people who, having misunderstood the recommendations for nutrition, begin to intensively consume high-calorie foods to donate blood and cannot stop in time.
Donation is bad for your appearance
Some women are hesitant to donate blood, believing that this will negatively affect their complexion and skin elasticity. In fact, regular donation activates the work of the hematopoietic organs, causes the blood to renew itself faster, and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the immune, cardiovascular and digestive systems.
Donors, as a rule, do not have problems with the tone and color of their skin. They are cheerful, fit, active and have a positive attitude.
Regular donation is addictive
In this case, we can talk about addiction only in the sense of increased resistance of the body to various stresses, diseases and negative impact external environment. Thus, regular blood donation teaches the body to quickly replenish blood loss, which can play a positive role in the event of an injury or illness from which no one is immune.
It has been clinically proven that donation reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular pathologies. Some men note that regular blood donation has a positive effect on potency.
For a successful blood transfusion, the donor and recipient must be of the same nationality
The statement has nothing to do with reality. The compatibility of the donor and the recipient (the person to whom the blood is transfused) depends solely on the composition of the blood, that is, the presence or absence of certain proteins in it. For transfusion, the compatibility of blood groups (AB0 system) and Rh factor is important. These indicators are distributed almost equally among different races and ethnic groups.
With a suitable protein composition, donor blood can be transfused into a recipient regardless of gender, age or nationality.
Donating blood is a noble cause, but not everyone knows that there are a number of contraindications to this. These include pregnancy, the postpartum and postoperative period, taking certain medicines and many others. But is it possible to be a donor if you are taking birth control pills? This article will talk about this.
Why you should not donate blood while taking medication
It is known that all the medications we take get into the blood in one way or another and are carried throughout the body. Over time, the drugs are eliminated.
If you are going to become a donor, you must inform yourself about taking certain medications. They can affect the quality of blood and negatively affect the health of the recipient, that is, the one to whom the blood will be transfused.
Even if you did not take the drugs directly on the day of blood sampling, but completed the course a few days ago, this fact may become a contraindication to donation. So, "dangerous" from this point of view, medications are:
- antibiotics;
- antifungal drugs;
- antidepressants;
- hormonal drugs;
- drugs that lower blood pressure;
- to normalize heart rate.
At the same time allowed take the following medications:
- mild sedatives;
- hormonal contraceptives;
- homogeneous replacement therapy in women during menopause;
- some painkillers;
- laxatives.
Thus, we have answered the main question of this article.
Blood can be donated while taking hormonal contraceptives.
Why can hormonal contraceptives be taken before donating blood?
The answer to this question is simple: modern contraceptive drugs contain a minimal concentration of hormones and therefore have virtually no effect on the functioning of the body as a whole, and the risk of complications in the recipient is minimal.
The same statement is also true for such contraception How:
- hormonal patches,
- vaginal rings,
- hormone-producing intrauterine devices.
These drugs act similarly to tablets, contain a minimum of hormones, but are absorbed into the bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract.
You can also become a donor while taking hormone replacement therapy during menopause. Although in this case hormones are also taken, they are still analogues of substances contained in a woman’s body in a normal state.
However, you should not donate blood during menstrual bleeding. And not at all due to a hormonal surge in a woman’s body; at this time, blood clotting is critically reduced, which can lead to complications after donation. After all, a woman already loses blood during her period.
Many women donate blood while taking birth control. According to reviews, this not only does not worsen, but in many ways even improves their condition. Since it is known that hormonal contraceptives can slightly increase blood pressure, donating blood, in turn, lowers blood pressure.
How to prepare for donation?
We already know that you can take hormonal contraception before taking blood. However, there are other precautions that must be taken to ensure that the procedure is completed without harm to your health. Here are the main ones:
- Before donating blood, you should not eat fatty, spicy, fried or salty foods: refrain from sausages, lard, chocolate, nuts, butter;
- however, you can’t donate blood on an empty stomach either: you need to drink plenty of liquid, it’s best to drink warm tea with sugar;
- refrain from smoking at least two hours before blood collection.
It is known that every “dose” of blood saves a life. However, the donor himself must ensure that blood donation takes place with minimal risk to his own health.
Anyone can become a donor healthy person. But before you go to the blood transfusion station, you need to find out the basic rules for donating blood.
Preliminary stage
Every person who plans to donate blood should prepare. You must not drink alcohol for 48 hours, and smoking is also prohibited. However, if a person drinks alcohol often enough, the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) can be constantly elevated. People who abuse alcohol should give it up a week before donating blood.
Due to the risk of increasing the level of this enzyme, on the eve of the examination you should avoid eating lard, mayonnaise, butter, and sour cream. If the ALT level is elevated, then the next time a potential donor can come to donate blood no earlier than in 3 months.
Experienced donors know how to prepare so that their blood donation goes well. Rules are necessary for people who are not yet familiar with this procedure.
When planning to become a donor, you need to reconsider your diet. On the eve of this procedure, avoid fried, fatty, and smoked foods. Avoid butter, eggs and dairy products. Ingesting large amounts of animal proteins can make the blood difficult to separate into its components.
Failure to comply with the diet leads to the fact that fat microparticles are found in large quantities in the blood serum. She looks cloudy. Such blood is not suitable for tests or transfusions. By the way, it is not recommended to eat bananas and nuts.
It is also important to pay attention to your well-being. The rules for donating blood state that you should reschedule the procedure if you feel unwell, feel weak, dizzy or have a headache. You should not go to the transfusion station if you had a sleepless night the night before.
Day of the procedure
It has been experimentally established that the body tolerates significant blood loss best in the morning. Therefore, for most people, blood is taken for up to 12 hours. Breakfast on the day of the procedure is mandatory. In the morning you can eat any porridge with water, dry cookies, and drink sweet tea.
It is better to go to the blood transfusion station in advance and find out how they donate blood for donation. The rules are the same for everyone. By the way, don’t forget to take your passport with registration with you.
First, the potential donor is asked to fill out a questionnaire where he provides information about his health and lifestyle. After this, he should be examined by a therapist. He can additionally inform you about how blood donation takes place. Rules, preparation and diet are mandatory for everyone.
About 450 ml of biofluid is taken from each donor. Some of it is sent for tests. The duration of the procedure depends on what exactly the person is undergoing. It takes 15 minutes to collect this amount of whole blood. Plasma donation lasts about 30 minutes, platelets – 1.5 hours.
Behavior after the procedure
Once the blood draw is completed, the person should rest for a while. To do this, you just need to sit quietly for 15 minutes and drink sweet tea. If you feel unwell or feel dizzy, you should contact the staff. In order to comply with all the rules for donating blood, you must refrain from physical activity on this day. It is advisable to start smoking no earlier than two days after the procedure.
It is advisable not to remove the applied bandage for 3-4 hours. This should prevent bruising. But if it does form, then at the site of its appearance it is recommended to make compresses with heparin ointment. Instead, you can use Troxevasin.
It is also important to eat right: the body must receive all the necessary microelements. After donation, you need to monitor the amount of fluid you consume; you need to drink at least 2 liters of water.
Temporary contraindications
There is a list of situations in which blood donation should be postponed. Rules, preparation, conditions are explained at each blood transfusion station. But people do not always go for a preliminary consultation.
Any healthy person who is over 18 years old and weighs more than 50 kg can become a donor. But even people who meet these parameters can receive a medical exemption for a certain period from the moment of recovery.
Temporary contraindications include the following.
1. Infectious diseases:
- history of malaria (3 years);
- ARVI, sore throat, influenza (1 month);
- typhoid fever (1 year);
- other diseases (6 months).
2. Danger of infection with blood-borne diseases:
- transfusions of blood and its components, surgical interventions, including abortions (6 months);
- acupuncture treatment, tattooing (1 year);
- being on business trips abroad for more than 2 months (6 months);
- stay more than 3 months in countries where malaria is endemic (3 years);
- contacts with persons with hepatitis A (3 months), B and C (1 year).
3. Tooth extraction (10 days).
4. Acute form of diseases or exacerbation of chronic pathologies (1 month).
5. Exacerbation of allergic diseases (2 months).
6. Vaccinations: the rules for donating blood provide for a medical exemption, the duration of which is determined depending on the type of vaccine.
If you are taking any medications, tell your doctor before donating blood. After using antibiotics, a two-week break is required. If you took analgesics or drugs belonging to the salicylates group, then you need to wait 3 days.
Absolute contraindications
People with certain physical illnesses are also not suitable. These include:
- blood diseases;
- malignant neoplasms;
- complete absence of speech and hearing;
- organic lesions of the central nervous system;
- mental patients, people suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism;
- respiratory diseases (asthma, emphysema, obstructive bronchitis, bronchiectasis);
- cardiovascular diseases (stage 2-3 hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemic disease heart disease, myocarditis, endocarditis, recurrent thrombophlebitis, heart disease);
- diseases of the digestive system, liver, biliary tract (ulcers, achilic gastritis, cirrhosis and other liver diseases, calculous cholecystitis);
- kidney disease (urolithiasis, focal and diffuse kidney damage);
- connective tissue problems;
- radiation sickness;
- endocrine diseases that are accompanied by metabolic disorders;
- chronic purulent-inflammatory and acute diseases of the ENT organs;
- eye diseases (myopia more than 6 D, trachoma, blindness, residual effects of uveitis);
- organ resection operations, tissue and organ transplantation;
- skin diseases (psoriasis, pustular and fungal lesions).
Time intervals
If you have carefully read all the contraindications, you can first determine for yourself whether blood donation is indicated for you. It is better to find out the rules (how to donate blood) after familiarizing yourself with full list contraindications.
If you meet all the requirements, the therapist may allow you to undergo the procedure. Many come to donate blood again. But doing this too often will not work. The break between these procedures should be more than 60 days. Men are allowed to donate blood up to 5 times a year, women - up to 4 times.
True, these restrictions are established for those cases when whole blood is taken from a person. The break between donating plasma and other components is 30 days. Plasmapheresis can be repeated every 2 weeks. The same break is established for plateletpheresis and leukocytapheresis.
Nuances for women
Despite the established gender equality, there are points that cannot be ignored. Therefore, the rules for donating blood for women are slightly different. They can donate blood no more than 4 times a year. But this is not the only limitation. Pregnant women and nursing mothers cannot be donors. It has been established that at least a year must pass from the birth of the baby, and more than 3 months after the end of lactation.
In addition, blood is not taken from women during menstruation. You must wait 5 days after the end of menstruation, only after that you can go to the transfusion station.
Donation payment issues
Just a few years ago, people who decided to donate blood could receive monetary compensation. For example, in Moscow you could get about 1000 rubles. instead of free food. They were also paid 650 rubles. for every 100 ml of biomaterial. Payment for blood donation in other regions was lower. But active donors received almost 2 times more.
In 2012 it was adopted new law, the provisions of which are aimed at making blood donation free and voluntary. Donors are now only entitled to free food and a number of social guarantees. But at the federal level, cases may be established in which it is possible to donate blood for a fee.
The main idea of the new law is that people should become donors not because of the monetary compensation they are entitled to, but to save lives. The money that was spent on payment is now spent on propaganda. This should attract larger number conscious citizens who don’t think that donating blood is just a way to earn money. Naturally, such people must also follow the rules (payment, by the way, is provided for honorary donors), because they do this not for the sake of a small amount, but for a good purpose - to save someone’s life.
Whatever blood substitutes are invented in the modern scientific world, preference is given to donor blood and preparations made from it. Donation is a way to save the lives of other people. You should always remember this and treat donors with respect.
However, we should not forget that not every person can become one. There are contraindications to blood donation. Their violation leads to dangerous consequences for those for whom transfusion is indicated and for the volunteer himself.
There are strict instructions from the Ministry of Health regarding contraindications for blood donation. Blood transfusion rooms in large hospitals and stations are required to fully comply with the rules. All violations are strictly punishable by law.
Donor verification procedure
A potential donor must undergo a medical examination at the clinic. You need to bring it to the “Blood Transfusion Station” or donor point. official certificate from a general practitioner about the state of health, a coupon and a conclusion about undergoing fluorography this year, for women - a certificate from a gynecologist.
Persons under eighteen years of age and weighing less than 50 kg cannot be a donor. Even if the weight corresponds to the height, blood sampling from such people can only be carried out with the personal permission of a transfusiologist.
At medical examination you should answer the doctor's questions honestly
The local therapist is obliged to check general analysis blood, urine, biochemical tests to exclude various pathologies. In the infectious diseases room, information about the latest vaccinations is reviewed and possible contacts with established cases are identified. infectious diseases.
The standard is to collect 450 ml of blood and 40 ml for additional tests. A healthy person endures such a loss without consequences.
On the day of blood donation, immediately before the procedure, another examination by the therapist is carried out. Temperature, heart rate and blood pressure are measured. When the temperature rises above 37 degrees, blood donation is canceled.
Increased heart rate and a slight increase in blood pressure can be caused by anxiety, so limits have been set for these indicators:
- for pulse from 50 to 100 per minute;
- for blood pressure from 90/60 to 160/100 mmHg. Art.
If during a medical examination indicators are found above or below these standards, then the procedure will be denied at the moment.
Showing up with a hangover or drunk is completely unacceptable. Compliance with deadlines and rules is required:
- diet the day before donating blood, avoiding fatty and spicy foods;
- do not drink alcohol (including beer) for two days;
- at least two weeks must pass after the course of antibiotics;
- three days after taking aspirin-like drugs.
It is unlikely that a person who does not want to limit himself in anything in order to save others, hides the necessary information, is needed for donation.
Existing orders and instructions highlight clear contraindications for blood donors. At the same time, they are divided into permanent (absolute) and temporary.
Who will never become a donor
Permanent contraindications are established until the end of life. They do not depend on a person’s desire, they are determined by the presence of diseases internal organs, in which a decrease in blood volume can cause exacerbation. Another reason is the danger of transmitting the donor's disease through the blood. The list includes:
Sore throat should be treated
Who can donate blood, but after a certain period of time
Temporary contraindications are established in accordance with risk factors for deterioration of the health of a potential donor or possible transmission of infection. The minimum period after which donation is considered possible is calculated.
Blood donation can cause an undesirable aggravation of a person’s condition, so the body should be given time to recover after:
- previous pregnancy and childbirth - within a year;
- breastfeeding - three months;
- menstruation period - five days;
- tooth extraction - ten days;
- last transfusion of blood and components - six months;
- undergone operations (applies to abortions) - six months.
In what cases are contraindications caused by the possibility of infection through donor blood?
This group of temporary contraindications is aimed at preventing infection of the person to whom the blood is intended. The timing is determined taking into account minimal risks and the possible hidden course of diseases.
- Living abroad for more than two months is six months, and staying more than three months in countries with a high prevalence of malaria is three years.
- Acupuncture treatment or tattoo - one year.
- In case of contact with patients with hepatitis: type A - three months, type B - a year.
- Malaria without exacerbations and with normal tests - three years.
- Past typhoid fever - one year.
- After ARVI, flu, sore throat - one month.
- Other infections that are not included in absolute contraindications - six months.
Donor days are held at enterprises and in educational institutions
Other restrictions
The instructions do not allow people who have had:
- allergic reactions - two months;
- exacerbation of vegetative-vascular dystonia - one month;
- elevated temperature - one month.
In addition, it is necessary to take into account how much time has passed since the last vaccination. Contraindications are defined for each type of vaccine. The temporary delay in donation ranges from ten days to a year. During the examination, the infectious disease specialist indicates them exactly.
In case of an existing disease that is not included in the list, the order requires that all controversial issues be resolved by committee (by clinic specialists and the transfusiologist of the Blood Transfusion Station).
If a person really wants to, but cannot become a donor, do not be upset. Donation always needs help in organizing “Donor Days” and promoting the movement. Here you can bring no less benefit.
Almost any healthy person over 18 years of age can become a donor. However, there are certain medical and social contraindications to donating blood and its components. Various diseases surgeries undergone in the recent past, trips to some parts of the world - all this can serve as a temporary or permanent excuse from donation. You will find a detailed list of contraindications below.
In addition, you should know that the donor must weigh at least 50 kg. Body temperature measured before blood donation should be no higher than 37°C; permissible systolic pressure - from 90 to 160 mmHg, diastolic - from 60 to 100 mmHg; permissible pulse rate is 50-100 beats per minute.
If you have diseases not included in the above list, or you are taking any medications, inform the doctor at the station or in the blood transfusion department, and he will decide whether you can be a donor or not. An examination by a doctor and a conversation between a doctor and a donor are mandatory procedures before donating blood or its components. Do not hide your ailments from the doctor, answer his questions and the questionnaire honestly, and then donation will be safe both for you and for those for whom you are donating blood or its components.
In Moscow and the Moscow region some medical institutions require donors to register in Moscow or Moscow region - permanent or temporary (at least 6 months). However, other blood transfusion departments also accept blood from regionally registered donors. To find out what a specific facility's registration requirements are, contact our Donor Coordinator or find that facility on the list and read the description of the blood donation requirements.
If you are donating blood not in Moscow, but in another region of Russia, call in advance to the station or blood transfusion department to find out what requirements they have for donor registration.
Thank you for being ready to become a donor or have already become one!
List of contraindications to donating blood and its components
(See Order of the Ministry of Health Russian Federation dated September 14, 2001 No. 364 “On approval of the procedure for medical examination of a blood donor and its components” and Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation No. 175n dated April 16, 2008 “On amendments to the Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated September 14, 2001 No. 364 ".)
I. Absolute contraindications
(withdrawal from donation regardless of the duration of the disease and treatment results)
1. Factors of infection with blood-borne diseases:
