Advantages and Disadvantages of Blood Donation

Thousands of individuals require donated blood and blood-related products every day to be healthy or to live. People won't have enough oxygen or other nutrients to keep their vital organs working if their blood levels decrease due to an injury, sickness, or poor blood flow. Blood donations may be beneficial for some people. People with clotting problems may benefit from platelet donations. Additionally, it could offer antibodies that aid in treating diseases like COVID-19.

Advantages

• Detecting harmful health issues: Each donor has a brief physical examination and blood test before giving blood. Before you may donate blood, doctors must check to see whether you have any dangerous diseases and infections that could be transmitted to others. Although these tests are not comprehensive, they may be able to detect undiagnosed medical conditions, including anemia, heart rate, hemoglobin, body temperature, iron level, and low or high blood pressure.
  If the test finds an issue, the individual will be unable to donate blood. However, the findings may be the initial step toward getting treatment.
• Weight Loss: Additionally, studies have shown that giving blood might aid with weight loss. In reality, giving blood burns calories, and while you won't instantly lose weight, your blood donation may inspire you to work out more and stay in good shape so that you may continue to give blood for years to come.
• Stimulates Blood Cell Protection: Blood donation is also beneficial since it promotes the formation of new blood cells and, in a sense, purifies our bodies because it allows us to replace our blood with fresh, high-quality new blood regularly.
• Donating blood can aid patients with a variety of medical issues, including those who:
  • suffer from internal or external bleeding as a result of an injury
  • have sickle cell disease or another blood-related ailment
  • are being treated for cancer
  • are having surgery, such as cardiac or orthopedic surgery
  • have a blood disease that was passed down via the family
  • are you having a transplant
  • need a plasma or other blood product therapies
• Covid-19: Those who have recovered from COVID-19 may be able to aid others with the illness by supplying blood plasma. Their plasma may include anti-infection antibodies. If this plasma is given to another individual, it may assist their body fight the infection
• Serving the community: Up to three people might be saved by one given unit of blood. People who donate blood are vital contributors to the community. A positive impact on another person's life might boost a donor's confidence.
• Decreases iron levels: Iron is a mineral required by the body to develop red platelets. However, an excessive quantity of iron can be harmful to a person's health. It may accumulate in numerous body organs, such as the heart and liver, and alter how those organs function.
• Donating blood is often compensated: Donating blood is beneficial not just on a humanitarian level but also on a personal level. By donating blood, you will usually receive gifts and, in rare circumstances, monetary advantages.
  Donating blood may also benefit you financially, and if you need money quickly but don't want to sell your belongings, blood donation is a viable option.
• You can serve as an inspiration to others: Additionally, giving blood might be an excellent way to set an example for others. People around us tremendously impact us; therefore, if we observe someone we admire doing something, we are far more inclined to follow suit. By giving blood, you may demonstrate to your friends how crucial it is to help others, and your acquaintances will be more inclined to support your objective. You could have a beneficial long-term effect on many people by telling as many people as possible about the significance of blood donation.
• Blood donation may relieve stress: According to studies, giving blood might also help you feel less stressed. Not only will giving blood make you feel good because you know you helped others, but it can also benefit you physically because you will often feel tired.
• Decrease the chance of heart problems: According to studies, blood donation may lower your risk of heart attack and other significant health issues since it helps your body replace its blood with newly made, frequently higher-quality blood.
• Overcome your fears: Blood donation may also help you overcome your worries. Many people are first hesitant to donate blood. However, if you overcome your concerns and go for it, you will discover that it is not as difficult as you may have imagined. You may also experience the great satisfaction of really doing something. Furthermore, because you have done it previously and gained confidence, as a result, you will have an easier time overcoming your concerns in other aspects of your future life.

Disadvantages

• Temporary reaction: After giving blood, a person may occasionally have negative consequences. Temporary side effects, such as bruising or bleeding from a needle prick or weakness, dizziness, feeling faint, lightheadedness, or nausea, might happen even though severe adverse effects are rare.
  These symptoms usually go away within 24 hours.
• Adverse effects: In rare situations, a person might experience a more serious side reaction, such as low blood pressure, muscular spasms, trouble breathing, fainting, vomiting, or convulsions. These problems are more likely to impact younger donors, underweight donors, and those making their first donation.
• It may be a little painful to donate blood: While it is not a big deal, giving blood can also be a little painful and requires you to wait with a needle in your arm for a moment, which may feel rather uncomfortable. If you are somewhat sensible, giving blood might not be for you.
• You need to complete some paperwork: Blood donation also entails a significant amount of paperwork. You will also need to provide much personal information before you can donate blood for the first time so that doctor can determine if you qualify. Therefore, you must spend time on very monotonous administrative tasks before you can help others, which may be incredibly unpleasant.
• Time-consuming: Blood donation might take time. Along with the actual operation, you will also need to take the time to do checks and complete a ton of paperwork. As a result, you will need to dedicate some time to this task, and if you are restless, you might prefer giving blood in the longer term.
• Risk of complications: Another disadvantage of giving blood is that significant problems are always possible. While this danger is minimal, it is not zero, and if you are unfortunate, you may experience significant health issues due to your blood donation.
• Regular checkups: You will need to undergo regular exams if you plan to donate blood frequently so that doctors can confirm that you're still in good enough health. Therefore, if you are unwilling to undergo those examinations, you could eventually stop enjoying giving blood.
• Bruises are pretty common: Even though this is a tiny problem, you will frequently deal with bruises after giving blood, which may temporarily impair your appearance. Therefore, you could decide against giving blood if your looks are essential to you and you don't want to suffer unsightly bruises.

Conclusion

Donating blood is a healthful practice. Blood plasma can be regenerated in 48 hours, but the human body can restore donated blood in four to eight weeks. Donating blood aids in the removal of dangerous iron deposits in the body, hence aiding in the prevention of heart disease.