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TESTS DONE ON DONATED BLOOD BY
DONATION CENTERS
These are the blood tests done on blood given at a donation center such
as the Red Cross. Please note that the primary emphasis on these tests
are to determine whether the donor has an infectious disease that's transmissible
via blood transfusion, and what blood type the person is (to avoid blood
typing problems later) - not the person's general health status (which
is better served by a "CBC w/differential" and a "chem20"
or "complete metabolic" and other testing done by your primary
physician.)
At a donation center, the amount usually taken is about a pint (approximately
470ml), and can take about 10-20 minutes. It takes 24-48 hours to replace
the overall blood volume, but approximately 6 weeks to replace the actual
red cells. A unit is roughly 45% red cells, roughly 55% plasma, and a
very small proportion of platelets. An average size adult has about 10-12
pints / apx 5 liters, depending on weight.
Losing about 1/5 or more of the normal amount of blood in your body causes
hypovolemic/hemorrhagic shock.
GENERAL HEALTH
- Are fit, healthy, and not suffering from cold, flu or other illness
at time of donation
- Must weigh at least 110 pounds / 50kg / 7.8st (less than that means
increased risk of fainting)
- Must be at least legal age and under 70-ish (varies with country and/or
state/province)
- Have eaten and had 3-4 glasses of water or juice before donating
- Must NOT have donated whole blood within the last 6-8 weeks
- Must NOT have a reason for deferral (some are outlined below; see
links for further details)
BASE BLOOD TEST LIST
- Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg)
- Antibodies to the Hepatitis B Core (Anti-HBc)
- Antibodies to the Hepatitis C Virus (Anti-HCV)
- Antibodies to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Types 1 and 2 (Anti-HIV-1,
-2)
- Antibodies to Human T-Lymphotropic Virus, Types I and II (Anti-HTLV-I,
-II)
- Syphilis
- Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAT) for West Nile Virus and/or
HIV-1 and HCV
- Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) (when raised, indicates possibility
of otherwise-undetectable hepatitis)
- A/B/O blood type + rh factor determination
- Red cell antibody detection
ADDITIONAL BLOOD TESTS (on
an as-needed or regional basis)
- Malaria
- T-Cruzii (Trypanosoma cruzi - "Chagas' Disease")
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Sickle Cell Trait
REASONS FOR BLOOD DONOR DEFERRALS INCLUDE THE
FOLLOWING
Prospective blood donors may be unable to donate for reasons that could
either compromise their own health or the safety of the donated blood
supply. Common reasons why people may be temporarily deferred are listed
below. This is not a comprehensive list owing to the many factors that
can determine a donor's eligibility - a more comprehensive list may be
obtained from your local blood donation agency.
- Minor illness (donors are required to be healthy at time of donation)
- Drugs/medications (dependent on the type of drugs/medication or underlying
cause requiring medication)
- Recent dental work (risk of infection/septicemia in the blood)
- Low Hemoglobin counts (due to anemia; bad idea for people with anemia
to have this much blood loss)
- Recent tattoos/piercings/accupuncture/electrolysis (risk of hepatitis
or other infections from the needles)
- Recent major surgery (deferral time dependent on the type of surgery,
recovery period, and reason for surgery)
- HIV/AIDS high risk activities
- Diabetes (if you're on insulin or other medication, because it can
be dangerous for non-diabetics)
- Exposure to disease/geographical-based deferrals (such as Malaria)
- Pregnancy (during, and until 3 months after breastfeeding stops)
- Recent vaccinations, depending on the vaccination
- High risk sexual activities
- Food poisoning (because the bacteria can still be in the blood)
- Certain diseases (either because they're contagious or the cause and
nature of them is uncertain)
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS ONLY A PARTIAL LIST!
See the reference links below for more detailed explanations of the
above, and specific disease deferral information.
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topics; however, no warranty whatsoever is made that any of the articles
are accurate - and even if a statement made about medical matters is
accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms. These
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Even though the authors may be capable of
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of any books of the medical profession in the personal libraries of
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guarantee that any statement contained or cited in an article touching
on medical matters is true, precise, or up-to-date.
At best, you can use the article to strike
up a conversation with your doctor or other medical professional ABOUT
your symptoms, and share any concerns you may have for them to investigate.
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and CANNOT legally be considered a substitute for the advice of a medical
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