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The Many Health Benefits of Donating Blood
Written by Wellness Club on September 24, 2018 – 1:34 pm -By Dr. Dana Myatt
An estimated 40,000 pints of donor blood are needed each day in the U.S. for patients with cancer, those undergoing orthopedic surgeries, marrow transplants and cardio vascular surgeries, people being treated for inherited blood disorders and those with acute injuries resulting in blood loss. There are other reasons why a blood transfusion might be needed but these are some of the “biggies” that occur every day. The need is always there.
If you donate blood, you will be a hero and may help save someone’s life. But there’s more to it than you being a “good doobie.”
Blood donors are rewarded with at least 3 personal health benefits. You read that right. Donating blood is healthy for the donor, not just the recipient.
Here’s the scoop.
There are at least three benefits of blood donation:
1.) You get a Mini Health Screen. They check your blood pressure, pulse and temperature every time you donate. Getting a B.P. check every 3-4 months is a good thing and can alert you to any changes.
2.) You get free lab testing. There are some tests that blood donation centers perform every time you donate. These are things that are good to know about and things that your doctor is unlikely to order unless there is an obvious reason.
As part of the donation process, your blood will be screened for any or all of the following:
On your first visit you will be tested for:
I.) ABO Typing – provides determination of Blood type: A, B, O, or AB.
II.) Rh factor Determination – indicates positive or negative Blood type.
III.) Blood Group Antibodies – indicates unexpected antibodies that may be a result of prior transfusion, pregnancy or other factors.
And at every visit you will be tested for these minimums:
I.) Hepatitis B Surface Antigen – indicates a present infection (hepatitis) or carrier state of hepatitis B virus.
II.) Antibody to Hepatitis B Core – additional test that detects a present or past infection with the hepatitis B virus.
III.) Antibody to Hepatitis C Virus – indicates antibody to a virus that causes hepatitis C (responsible for non-A non-B hepatitis.) The mean incubation time is six to eight weeks.
IV.) Antibody to HTLV – 1 and 2 – indicates the antibody to a virus that causes adult T-cell leukemia, among other things.
V.) Antibody to HIV 1 and 2 – indicates an infection with Human Immune deficiency Virus. (virus that causes AIDs)
VI.) Syphilis – screens for this venereal disease.
VII) iron levels. (ferritin, or storage iron, is tested only in young adults)
VIII.) Hemoglobin and hematocrit (this tells if you have enough red blood cells and iron)
IX.) Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is a molecular technique for screening blood donations to reduce the risk of transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) in the recipients, thus providing an additional layer of blood safety
X.) total cholesterol
Some donation centers also test for:
I.) Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) – identifies a liver enzyme that, when increased, may indicate undetectable forms of hepatitis.
II.) West Nile Virus
III.) Chagas disease
IV.) Zika virus
V.) Babesiosis – a tick-born virus
Hepatitis B, Hep C and HTLV can be transmitted without sexual contact, so don’t believe that these tests are only useful for those who practice unprotected sex with multiple partners. In fact, Hep C is an epidemic among Baby Boomers, in part because of previous blood transfusions before donor blood testing was performed and also because older folks are just as likely to practice unprotected sex as younger folks.
West Nile and Zika are mosquito-transmitted diseases and Chagas disease is transmitted by “kissing bugs.” These “bug transmitted” diseases can be mild or can cause symptoms and problems up to and including death.
Discussing each of these diseases is beyond the scope of this article but Google them and you’ll see why they are worth knowing about.
3.) You get to normalize / optimize your storage iron levels (ferritin). The donation center doesn’t check your serum ferritin levels (storage iron) unless you are a young adult. They do evaluate circulating iron in your blood to make sure you are not anemic on the day you donate. Giving blood decreases storage iron and that’s a good thing. Here’s why.
Ferritin is an iron storage protein that is a measure of body iron stores. High levels (even “high normal” within the normal range) increases free radical production and is highly associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis and peripheral vascular disease.
Serum ferritin is one of the strongest risk predictors of overall progression of atherosclerosis.(1-10). This is big and because of the evidence, I consider ferritin one of the four most important anti-aging/longevity tests that can be performed.
The degree to which ferritin will be lowered varies among individuals, so I recommend periodic testing (say, 6 weeks after donation) to help gauge how often to donate.
On the other hand, if you are anemic without a known reason (you’re not a female of menstrual age, for example), finding this out might save your life. Unseen (occult) bleeding from the colon, for example, can be a sign of polyps or cancer. Unexplained anemia needs to be followed up, and you’ll have benefit of this information more frequently when you are a 3-4 times per year blood donor.
Wouldn’t it be great to know that you were helping yourself and also helping someone else?
Bottom line: “Hero points” aside, most people should be donating blood 2-4 times per year for health reasons. You can help save a life while benefitting your own health. There are very few medical “treatments” that offer such a “win-win”!
Ask your doctor if you are a candidate for donating blood (most people are), then call one of the local blood drives and get yourself signed up. Your “future self” will thank you.
References:
1. Alissa EM, Ahmed WH, Al-Ama N, Ferns GA. Relationship between indices of iron status and coronary risk factors including diabetes and the metabolic syndrome in Saudi subjects without overt coronary disease. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2007;21(4):242-54. Epub 2007 Aug 7
2. Ahluwalia N, Genoux A, Ferrieres J, Perret B, Carayol M, Drouet L, Ruidavets JB. Iron status is associated with carotid atherosclerotic plaques in middle-aged adults. J Nutr. 2010 Apr;140(4):812-6. Epub 2010 Feb 24.
3. de Godoy MF, Takakura IT, Machado RD, Grassi LV, Nogueira PR. Serum ferritin and obstructive coronary artery disease: angiographic correlation. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2007 Apr;88(4):430-3.
4. Depalma RG, Hayes VW, Chow BK, Shamayeva G, May PE, Zacharski LR. Ferritin levels, inflammatory biomarkers, and mortality in peripheral arterial disease: a substudy of the Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST) Trial. J Vasc Surg. 2010 Jun;51(6):1498-503. Epub 2010 Mar 20
5. Kiechl S, Willeit J, Egger G, Poewe W, Oberhollenzer F.Body iron stores and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis: prospective results from the Bruneck study.Circulation. 1997 Nov 18;96(10):3300-7.
6. Lee KR, Sweeney G, Kim WY, Kim KK. Serum ferritin is linked with aortic stiffness in apparently healthy Korean women. Crit Pathw Cardiol. 2010 Sep;9(3):160-3
7. Mainous AG 3rd, Diaz VA. Relation of serum ferritin level to cardiovascular fitness among young men. Am J Cardiol. 2009 Jan 1;103(1):115-8. Epub 2008 Oct 17.
8. Menke A, Fernández-Real JM, Muntner P, Guallar E. The association of biomarkers of iron status with peripheral arterial disease in US adults. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2009 Aug 3;9:34.
9. Valenti L, Swinkels DW, Burdick L, Dongiovanni P, Tjalsma H, Motta BM, Bertelli C, Fatta E, Bignamini D, Rametta R, Fargion S, Fracanzani AL. Serum ferritin levels are associated with vascular damage in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Aug;21(8):568-75. Epub 2010 Apr 13.
10. Zacharski LR, Shamayeva G, Chow BK. Effect of controlled reduction of body iron stores on clinical outcomes in peripheral arterial disease. Am Heart J. 2011 Nov;162(5):949-957.
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