Other reasons you may not be able to donate blood: You've experienced hepatitis or jaundice in the last year. You've had certain types of cancer, or are being treated for cancer. Blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease disqualify you from donating, to protect both donor and recipient.
You must be in good health at the time you donate. You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection. If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure.
The common causes of temporary deferral include low hemoglobin, infections including malaria, and duration of last blood donation less than three months. The donors could be permanently deferred due to underlying chronic conditions [10].
General health issues that won't allow people to donate blood. You can't donate blood if any of these general health issues apply to you: Fever (above 99.5°F) or an acute infection at the time of donation, or feel unwell, have a cold, flu, or trouble breathing. Pregnancy.
Maximum age for blood donation: 75 for first-time donors
You can become a first-time blood, plasma or platelet donor any time up until your 76th birthday (but you can only give platelets if you've given plasma before).
People with O -ve blood type can receive blood only from an O-ve donor. They, therefore, have the worst odds of finding a donor.
After a donation, most people's haemoglobin levels are back to normal after 6 to 12 weeks. This is why we ask donors to wait for a minimum of 12 weeks between donations (12 weeks for men and 16 weeks for women) to ensure that we don't risk lowering your haemoglobin levels over the long term.
Barriers to whole blood donation include having prior negative experiences with donation, and donation-related fear. Facilitators included altruism, having a personal connection to donation, donation center incentives, and positive experiences with blood center staff.
Acute Immune Hemolytic Reaction
The attack triggers a release of a substance that damages the kidneys. This is often the case when the donor blood is not a proper match with the patient's blood type. Symptoms include nausea, fever, chills, chest and lower back pain, and dark urine.
If you receive blood that is not compatible with your blood, your body produces antibodies to destroy the donor's blood cells. This process causes the transfusion reaction. Blood that you receive in a transfusion must be compatible with your own blood.
Examples of permanent deferrals include donors taking the medication Tegison (etretinate), those with a confirmed positive test for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and donors with reactive nucleic acid tests for hepatitis C virus or HIV during re-entry testing.
Dr Chaturvedi's advice is to avoid caffeinated drinks (colas, coffees, etc.) for the next 8-10 hours since caffeine is a diuretic and causes loss of fluids from the body. For regular donors, Agrawal advises buffing up on B-vitamins for a few weeks. “Have foods rich in folic acid," she says.
How much iron do I lose when donating blood or platelets? Each time you donate blood, you lose between 220-250 mg of iron. If you donate a Power Red, you lose twice that amount, about 470 mg of iron. It may take up to 24-30 weeks for your body to replace the iron lost through a blood donation.
The side effects of donating blood include nausea and dizziness and fainting in some cases. You may develop a raised bump or experience continued bleeding and bruising at the needle site too. Some people might experience pain and physical weakness after donating blood.
Click on a blood type below to learn more. Group O can donate red blood cells to anybody. It's the universal donor. Group AB can donate to other AB's but can receive from all others.
What's the rarest blood type? AB negative is the rarest of the eight main blood types - just 1% of our donors have it. Despite being rare, demand for AB negative blood is low and we don't struggle to find donors with AB negative blood.
The short answer is simple. Most blood donors are proud to have been able to serve their community throughout the course of their lives, and there isn't an age limit to who can donate blood.
Be aged between 18 and 75 years (other rules may apply if you are a current donor). Weigh at least 50kg. Have normal temperature and blood pressure. Additional screening measures are in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Australian donors receive no material compensation – money or otherwise – for their time or plasma. This is despite the fact that about half of the plasma used in Australia is currently provided by paid overseas donors, primarily from the US, who on average receive $50 each time they donate.