The Concerns Associated with Plasma Donation

The Concerns Associated with Plasma Donation

Everybody’s part and organ are important but to keep it going and let the heart and run more smoothly, it is plasma cells that play a major role. It consists of nearly 70% of the water that the body needs. But often due to a genetic disorder or some serious injury a patient may need plasma on an urgent basis and that is when plasma donation campaigns can be of great help. Indeed, it is a good act to donate plasma but those who are already anemic or have serious health issues may not be the suitable candidate to donate. However, there are a few things that a person needs to know before opting for such a good deed.

Know More About Plasma:

Plasma is one of the crucial liquid parts present in the blood. If it is separated from RBC and the other blood cells, it is noticeable that the color of plasma is not red but a little yellow. This liquid part of the blood is present just like the white blood cells, platelets, and red blood cells. One of its primary jobs is to make sure the blood pressure stays within a normal range. It also is said to be a good source of some healthy nutrients, proteins, hormones, and even minerals that the body needs on a timely basis. However, when it comes to plasma donation, the health care expert would run a few exams to see if the person is suitable for such a campaign or not.

What Is Plasma Made Of?

Plasma consists of a major portion of water. Nearly 70-90% of the water is present. Along with it, there are also enzymes and salt present in it. Besides, there are antibodies present in it that would help in fighting off the infection besides the presence of proteins like fibrinogen and albumin are also part of it. Together, plasma is one of the biggest parts of the whole blood. More than 55% of the body requires plasma. The fact is even if the blood seems to be red but plasma is ideally yellow in color. To be precise, plasma is said to be effective in all possible ways and hence is one of the primary sources that a body requires. Talking about a primary source, there are some crucial functions that one needs to know.

The Functioning to Not Ignore:

As said, plasma consists of hormones, proteins, and even nutrients to other cells present in the body. This could help further in

  • Hormone’s growth to help muscle and bone grow
  • Clothing that makes sure bleeding stops immediately after there is a cut
  • Nourishment like sodium and potassium ensure cells work.
  • Along with this plasma can also help the body in many other ways such as:
  • Maintain normal blood pressure
  • Ensure the blood volume levels stay good
  • Get rid of the chemical waste from cells.
  • Donating plasma: Know the safety concerns

There is no doubt that a plasma donation is a good act but one needs to be aware of the pros and cons associated with it. Since it is a donation, the person needs to understand that there will be quite an amount of blood that shall be taken. Besides, Plasma is also required for different modern medical therapies. Such would include some efficient treatments for the immune system conditions. Plasma is also needed for dealing with a respiratory disorder, bleeding, and many other concerns like blood transfusion to name some.

In short, plasma donation is important for collecting at least that number of plasma that could offer better medical treatment. There is no not much of the risk involved but there are side effects associated with it that cannot be ignored too. Since plasma is a component of the blood, one needs to prepare for the drawback once it is withdrawn from the body. For donating plasma, the blood will be taken from the body. It further shall be processed using a machine that would collect and even separate the plasma.

There are other blood components such as red blood cells which are returned to the body and get mixed with the saline for replacing the plasma that has been withdrawn. That is why, once the donation process occurs, an individual can face some of the common side effects such as fatigue, dehydration and in rare cases there could also be some serious side effects that would require quick medical attention.

Serious concerns to be worried of:

As stated earlier, plasma donation may have some side effects like dehydration and fatigue. But possible serious effects which would be quite rare but have a scope would be spasms, chock, and even vomiting. If any of these effects are happening frequently and are ignored then further the health could deteriorate. This would make the matter seriously and a person can further have an irregular pulse, arterial puncture, and even cardiac arrest to name some.

The right way to donate plasma safely

Even if these concerns seem to be scary, if the donation is done under the supervision of the expert, then of course the risk would be low to a great extent. Also, it is important to ensure that only an accredited center is visited the most. The donation center shall put the person under a different screening process and if everything goes fine, then the doctor shall fix an appointment. It is important to keep the body hydrated well before visiting the clinic to make sure there will not be any serious concerns that shall happen later.

Conclusion:

Donating the plasma is a good act but only if the right precautions are taken along with it. There are so many small and new clinics that have come up for such a campaign but some could be fraud too. That is why it is better to ensure every action is taken smartly. It is good to speak with a doctor about all the pros and cons associated with it and then take the action so that there is no scope of repenting about it in the future.