Pros and Cons of Donating Plasma: Plasma donation is the need of the hour in many medical therapies and treatment. You might have heard about plasma donation and how crucial it can be in some of the medical treatments to save patients lives. However, there are certain drawbacks of donating it as well. To keep you familiar with the Pros and Cons of Donating Plasma we have come up with this article. Find answers to all questions popping in mind like Is it painful to donate plasma, benefits of donating plasma and how often it is good to donate for your health all here.
What is Plasma Donation?
Plasma is the substance that constitutes half of your blood. It is the yellowish matter that includes both water and proteins. Plasma donation is the process in which plasma the liquid component of the blood is seperated. It is different from the regular blood donation as the liquid component of blood needed for coagulation is taken. Leftover blood components are inserted back into the donor.
Is donating Plasma good for your body?
Donating plasma has got its own set of health benefits and we will take you through all of them in detail here. Some of the key benefits of donating plasma is listed below for your knowledge.
Free Health Checkup: To donate plasma you are required to undergo several screening tests. You can know about your pulse, blood pressure and heamoglobin levels. You can have an insight into your health and even know about any underlying health diseases as well if any.
Boosts your health: Frequent plasma donating even helps you to monitor your health and know any diseases in the early stage itself. Circulatory system is renewed and results in new supply of blood.
Relatively Safe Process: Strict screening is followed at test centers to see if the donor is fit or not. One shouldn’t engage in activities like smoking, having tattoos or drug abuse. Lab personnel take care of the screening and extraction process and makes sure the entire process is safe.
Reduces Risk of Heart Diseases: Plasma donation on a regular basis will prevent the risk of heart diseases. Donating blood regulary will lower the iron stores which is the major factor for heart attacks.
Other potential benefits of plasma donation are reduction in stress levels, physical health benefits. You can even experience sense of belonging and reduce isolation with this.
Side Effects of donating Plasma
Some of the possible side effects or drawbacks of donating plasma include the following. Read on to know more about the drawbacks or risk factors involved in the plasma donation. They are explained below
Dehydration: As plasma includes most of the part water you might experience dehydration symptoms. However, the symptoms will not be too severe.
Dizziness and Fatigue: Sinceplasma is rich in nutrients and salts you might experience electrolyte imbalance. Due to this you might notice dizziness, fatigue and lightheadedness. However, the fatigue you experience can be mild.
Discomfort and Bruising: Other mild symptoms of plasma donation include bruises and discomfort. When needle is pierced you might notice symptom of piching as blood is drawn from your veins. Bruises usually form when blood flows into soft tissues. Usually, these go within days or weeks and if you have any bleeding disorders it might take more time.
Infection: Whenever a needle is pierced into the skin there is a small chance of infection. Punctured tissues allows outside bacteria to get into the body. These bacteria can even get into the vein and cause infection. Do visit a doctor if you notice any signs of infection.
Citrate Reaction: This can be a rare side effect in plasma donation. In case of plasma donation anticoagulant is added to the blood before transferring it into our body. This will prevent from blood clotting. Some part of the citrate might enter into blood stream in rare cases and this will react with calcium molecules in the body and leads to citrate reaction.
Other potential drawbacks of plasma donating can even include
- Dehydration
- Vein damage
- Fatigue
- Collapse for several hours
- Calcium level depletion in the body
- Fainting episodes
- Nausea and sleepiness
- Serious side effects that would require hospitalization to guarantee recovery
- Increased risk of infection
- Uncomfortable process of donation due to improper handling in some settings
What does Plasma Donation include?
There are couple of things one needs to know before donating plasma and here are the details. Usually, Plasma donation is a lengthy process compared to the regular blood donation and takes around 90 minutes. The very first time you donate it can be even more as you need to undergo regular screening tets and need to rest after the donation.
You can donate plasma more frequently compared to the blood. Unlike in blood donation you need not wait for 8 weeks and can donate it after 2 days.
If you are interested in knowing about advantages and disadvantages of various topics similar to this feel free to visit the article over here.
Tips to donate plasma safely
Keep the simple tips in mind before you donate plasma as they will help you have a smooth experience. They are as such
- Make sure to visit a trusted center for plasma donation. You need to undergo a screening process before taking the test. If your test center doesn’t do these tests it is a clear no to donate your plasma over there.
- Keep a track on how frequently you are donating your plasma and you can donate upto 13 times in a year. You can donate plasma frequently but this is recommended by American Red Cross.
- Hydrate yourself before the donation as drinking fluids can prevent you from dizziness, fatigue and lightheadedness.
Is it painful to donate plasma?
Plasma donation isn’t that painful. You will be prickled twice and it is just similar to how you check your blood sugar levels. First time they do it to check your blood stats and the next time they will hook you up to plasmapheresis machine. You might experience discomfort in the very first moment and that will be gone in a while.
FAQs on Advantages and Disadvantages of Plasma Donation
- Are there long term effects of donating plasma?
People who donate plasma on a regular basis might be at the risk of anemia due to loss of red blood cells over time.
- How fast does your body recover after donating plasma?
Usually, your body recovers after 2 days of donating plasma.
- Is it painful to donate plasma?
Plasma donation isn’t that painful but you might experience a small sting when the needle goes in.
- What should you avoid after donating plasma?
Avoid vigorous exercise, drinking alcohol after donating plasma as your body needs rest. Drink plenty of fluids and eat well after donating plasma.
- Should I sleep after donating plasma?
Slight fatigue is normal after plasma donation and sleep well till you feel relaxed.
Final Words
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