So You Think You Want to be a Blood Donor? Quiz

Answer: To help heal broken bones

Blood is needed to take oxygen to every cell in the body so each cell can function properly. If you do not have enough blood, there will not be enough oxygen reaching cells. Therefore you can get sick and can even die.

Most people who need blood transfusions need them when they lose blood quickly such as in a car accident. In some operations in hospital you might bleed a lot and therefore need a transfusion.

Some people have faulty hemoglobin. This is the protein in the red blood cell that carries the oxygen to the cells. These people need extra blood to increase the hemoglobin in the blood.

Answer: Saliva

The red colour you see when you bleed are the red blood cells which are called erythrocytes. You also have white blood cells (but much fewer) called leucocytes. These cells fight infections. You also have tiny cells called platelets which try to clot your blood when you bleed. The fourth component is plasma or serum, which is the watery component that the three types of cells are suspended in. Plasma is about half your blood volume.

Saliva is formed in the mouth. It is a liquid that provided lubrication for food to reach the stomach and it it the first part of the digestive process

Answer: Red blood cells only

When you donate blood, the main reason is so that red blood cells can be given (transplanted) to someone else. This donation type is called packed cells because it is nothing but red blood cells. There is always a demand for red blood cells by patients that need them and donated blood has trouble keeping up with demand. The packed cells are separated from the other three components.

Depending on which country you come from, the other components will be either transplanted back into the donor or, the remainder of the donation will be separated into the other three separate components and these smaller donations will be transplanted into people with specific blood disorders.

Answer: At home with a mail order blood donation kit

Because blood donation needs to be extremely safe for both donor and recipient, this must be performed in a facility such as a hospital or a blood collection agency. These facilities all have a licence to practice to ensure the donation is safe. You cannot donate yourself, no matter how well meaning you are.

Because there is always a need for blood donation, some countries have mobile units that visit workplaces to attract more donors who normally would not be able to leave the workplace. When such a vehicle comes into a workplace an employer will give the staff time off work to donate blood.

The age you can donate varies between countries. Normally it is around 18 years but in some countries you can donate at 16 with parental consent.

Answer: Hemoglobin levels to see if you can spare the blood

It is important that you can spare the blood if you want want to donate. It depends on what the rules are in each country but an average donation is around 450 mL or one pint. This is about five percent of your total blood volume. With this blood test you usually have a finger prick test to check your hemoglobin (HB) levels. If your hemoglobin levels are not high enough you will not be allowed to donate. Tests for blood grouping are done later, though, and it is helpful if you know your blood group.

The blood collection facility does not test DNA to check your identification.

Answer: True

It is very important that the blood collection agency gets a full medical history from anybody before the donation goes into somebody else's body as there can be other items in your blood which may make a recipient very sick or they may even die.

Some of the conditions you will be required to disclose are whether you have had cancer or leukaemia, an infectious disease like hepatitis or HIV (your blood will be tested for these and other viral diseases) or diseases of the nervous system. Your travel history will be checked to make sure you do not carry a disease you might have picked up from that country. In some cases you will be asked even if you are at risk of carrying a disease. For example, if you have used some illegal drugs, you might not be allowed to donate.

From the history obtained, your checked hemoglobin levels and your consent, you should then be allowed to donate.

Answer: To ensure you do not have a reaction to donating blood

After your donation you might feel a bit light-headed or dizzy because you have lost some of your blood. A few people faint. By having a drink this starts the process of your body replacing the fluid it has lost (It takes over 30 days, though, for the body to replace all the red blood cells that have been donated).

The staff like to keep an eye on you just in case you have a reaction, which if you do will happen very soon after donation. After about 15 minutes you will be allowed to leave if you feel well.

Answer: No

When blood is stored outside the body it lasts between 30-45 days when stored at refrigerator temperatures.

The first few days after donation are spent preparing the blood donation for use, including separating into its different components, all of which can be transplanted. A sample of the donated blood is tested for infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV, the staff may need additional medical histories from your doctors or hospitals, and finally everything must be checked and authorised before it can be used for transplantation.

This is why it is called a blood bank - deposits are made and a withdrawal for transplantation is made a bit later.

Answer: Cross-Match

The main blood groups are O, A, B, and AB. additionally blood is either rhesus factor positive or negative. Therefore there are eight major blood groups possible (e.g. O negative, AB positive). It is important that each recipient receives the same blood type as the donor (There are exceptions when this does not happen). Additionally there are literally dozens of minor blood groups in a patient's blood.

To test for compatibility, the red cells of the donor blood are mixed with the potential recipient's plasma which will contain antibodies to the blood groups in the donor blood if the blood is incompatible. If there is a reaction, the blood cannot be donated to the intended recipient. If there is no reaction it can be transplanted.

Answer: They feel good as it is a way they can help others.

Donating blood is considered a true gift. By donating, you are helping someone else but you do not know who that person will be. Some countries still pay people to donate blood, but this is decreasing. In some countries like Australia, it is actual illegal to accept payment for donating blood.

It is up to you to decide if you want to be a blood donor, but as you can see it is quite a complicated procedure.