Have you ever donated blood?

[Celeste]

I donated a few times years ago before finding out I had hemochromatosis.

Though the FDA would allow me to donate, American Red Cross and most medical institutes will not. I would love to be able to donate often, but for the sake of others and the controversy surrounding the safety of my genetically based disorder, I chose not too. The disorder can wreck havoc if not kept under control.

[CraigD]

But I distrust and fear needles, so I don't anymore :D

 

Thank you Hepititus and HIV

It’s practically impossible to contract these or any disease from the sterile, single-use needle and bags used by the Red Cross and other well-managed blood collection centers – the chance is certainly lower than even very low-risk activities like contact sports. The greatest disease risk you face during a blood donation is similar to that faced in any public setting – contracting germs and viruses from surfaces like chair arms and door handles, or droplets from the mouth and noses of other donors and staff. The only reasonable scenario where a needle or lancet (a few drops of blood are extracted from ones finger during the pre-donation screening process) could infect a donor is if someone intentionally tainted the equipment. Urban myths to the contrary, there’s no evidence of such a criminal act every having been attempted.

 

To my knowledge, there’s only been a handful of hypodermic attacks with the intention to infect a victim with a disease (almost always HIV/AIDS), and only one successful, an ultimately fatal attack on an Australian prison guard by an HIV-positive inmate. (see the snopes article “Pin Prick Attacks”.

 

Healthcare pros are at slightly higher risk of contracting AIDS, Hepatitis, and other disease from accidental needle sticks, and, very rarely, blood splattered into eyes or open cuts. The number of HIV/AIDS infections worldwide from accidental needle sticks, according to this CDC/NIOSH article is about 21, for an chance-per-injury of 0.3%. From the same article, chance-per-stick for HBV of unvaccinated workers (many healthcare workers have been vaccinated against HBV) is 6-30%, for HCV, 1.8%.

 

So, evidence indicates that people should not avoid blood donation because of fear of infection

[HIENVN]

I never donate blood because I am very thin. Maybe I need the blood of someone!

[CraigD]

I donated a few times years ago before finding out I had hemochromatosis.

Though the FDA would allow me to donate, American Red Cross and most medical institutes will not. I would love to be able to donate often, but for the sake of others and the controversy surrounding the safety of my genetically based disorder, I chose not too. The disorder can wreck havoc if not kept under control.

There’s a growing body of evidence that blood from donors with hemochromatosis (which is not contagious) is safe for inclusion, with no special labeling, in the general blood supply. Because of this evidence, and because blood donations from people with hemochromatosis could assure a surplus of blood, I think there’s a strong chance that this policy will be changed in the near future. Many of the millions of people with this condition need to have a unit of blood drawn 1-4 times a year for the therapeutic reason of reducing the buildup of iron in their tissues. Despite shortages in national and worldwide blood supplies, most of this blood is discarded.

 

Blood from donors with hemochromatosis has unusually high (but not dangerous) levels of iron (as ferritin, not as is commonly believed, as excess hemoglobin – otherwise people with hemochromatosis would tend to be super-aerobic athletes!). According to a blood-bank administrator I spoke with, the major concern with the use of such blood is that, paradoxically, it can be too good for the recipient, masking and leading to a failure to diagnose an anemic condition. Since diagnostic blood testing should be done prior to infusing a patient with additional blood, however, this objection doesn’t seem very strong.

 

On a cynical note, it’s been suggested, in articles such as ”Blood Shortage Remedy Is Found, But Blood Banks and Fed Resist It”, that financial gain may be a factor in policies about accepting blood donations from people with hemochromatosis. Because blood donation is free (or, unusually in the US, may even pay the donor), while therapeutic blood drawing is not (a $50-$300, according to the linked article), commercial blood banks stand to loose millions from such a change in policy.

[ronthepon]

Interesting. Haemochromatosis, apparently is a genetic disease in most of the cases. It'll probably be a useful thing in reigions where people suffer from iron deficiency...