Often dubbed the fluid of life, the 6L of blood circulating in our body is so priceless that the World Health Organization, along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), have been organising the World Blood Donor Day every year since 2004 on the 14th day of June to honour and thank the voluntary blood donors. It is celebrated on the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner who discovered the ABO blood grouping system.
The history of blood transfusion dates back to 1628 when William Harvey discovered the physiology of circulation and the first known attempts for blood transfusion were recorded shortly after. After several attempts for a successful transfusion either between two animals or from animal to human, the first successful human to human blood transfusion was performed by British Obstetrician James Blundell in the year 1818 to a patient for treatment of Postpartum haemorrhage. Since then, the field of Blood Transfusion has met various advances and now blood and blood products have become one of the most important resource having various uses. As our country India is estimated to have a demand of 14 million unit annually and we are short of one million annually. One of the goal of the World Blood Donor Day 2024 is to combat this with the theme “Celebrating 20 years of giving: Thank you Donors “. You can contribute your part by being a voluntary blood donor while inspiring and encouraging your friend and family to donate blood. You can go an extra step by working with NGOs and Blood Banks to reach out to the community and spread awareness.
But unfortunately, not everyone who is interested in donating blood can do so. A set of guidelines had been put in place by governing bodies to greenlight who can donate blood. At a baseline u have to between the age of 18 years and 65 years weighing above 55kg and with no illness at the time of donation to donate 450 mL of blood in India. A preliminary test is done to check you haemoglobin levels in blood and anyone below the threshold of 12.5 g/dl are deferred from donating blood. Don’t fast or indulge in alcohol 24 hours prior to the time of donation. You are permanently deferred from donating blood if u have history of tobacco usage or intravenous recreational drug intake. Anyone suspected to have come in contact with any kind of blood borne disease are deferred. People with cardiovascular diseases are also deferred from donation. These precautions are taken along with other laboratory investigation such as testing for HIV is done to ensure the safety of the recipient. As a cherry on the cake blood donation comes with certain perks for the donor along with a sense of altruism. Studies have shown regular blood donation to reduce the risk of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases. It has also been shown to reduce the oxidative stress and active phase reactant.
Every drop counts and every unit of blood could be a life saved. Visit your nearest Blood bank or a blood donation camp to donate blood. Celebrate the World Blood Donor Day by giving the gift of life!!
(Article writtern by Dr Karthik N B, Government Omandurar Medical College, Chennai.)
Comments