Blood is made up of white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and, most importantly, plasma. Plasma makes up about 55% of the blood in the body and has many vital functions, as we will explain later. Many people confuse blood transfusion with blood plasma donation. These are two different things. Blood transfusion is where a person donates a few milliliters of whole blood, which is transferred into another person’s body or kept for later use. On the other hand, plasma donation is where plasma is extracted from a person’s blood, prepared in the lab, and then transferred to another person or stored for any other use. Keep reading to learn more.
What is Plasma and Its Functions?
Plasma is the liquid component of the blood. It comprises around 55 percent of the blood and is made of 92% of water. It also comprises vital proteins, sugars, fats, mineral salts, hormones, and vitamins.
The main role of plasma is to maintain healthy blood pressure and volume. You can enjoy good health and live a happy life with proper blood pressure and volume. In addition, plasma supplies critical proteins responsible for immunity and blood clotting. With low blood plasma, your blood may not clot as expected. Furthermore, blood plasma carries electrolytes like sodium and potassium to the muscles and other crucial body parts. Besides, it is responsible for maintaining a healthy pH balance in the body.
What is Blood Plasma Donation?
Plasma donation is very different from blood donation. When you donate blood, blood is extracted from your arm and kept in a collection bag for later use. On the other hand, blood plasma donation is where blood is drawn from your arm and goes into a machine that isolates the plasma from the blood and is kept inside a special collection bag. Other parts of the blood (platelets, white and red blood cells) are returned to your body through the same needle.
It is worth noting that plasma donation takes much longer than actual blood donation. In addition, note that donors can donate plasma again after 24-48 hours. This means you can donate plasma several times a week. But The Red Cross recommends plasma donation once every 28 days.
Why is Blood Plasma Donation So Crucial?
Donating plasma to organizations or healthcare facilities is essential. Here are the reasons why:
To save Lives – One of the main reasons to motivate you to go for blood plasma donation is to save lives. Most patients with severe liver disease or multiple clotting factor deficiencies are likely to die if they are not given plasma. So if you donate plasma, these patients will be saved. In addition, patients who have experienced severe burns and trauma need to be given blood plasma to heal.
Donors Get Paid – Not only the patients and healthcare facilities benefit from plasma donation. Donors also get compensated for their time and good gesture. So if you donate plasma, you can expect a reward after the process. However small the reward may be, it will help you in one way or the other.
Help Some Patients Recover More Quickly – Some patients with shock, burns, severe liver diseases, and traumatic injuries can recover more quickly when they are given donated plasma. After the plasma is collected from you, it is prepared in the lab and stored in a freezer so that it can be given to patients who need it.
Donated Plasma Can Be Used to Make Treatments – Besides being given to patients, plasma can be used by pharmaceutical companies to make treatments for various diseases. For example, it can be used to make treatments for bleeding disorders and immune deficiency diseases. So even if your plasma is not given to another person, it can be used to make treatments that can save lives or improve the health of others.
Blood donation is slightly different from plasma donation. You can donate plasma every few days, which ensures you save many lives and help patients who need plasma recover more quickly. Donating plasma more often with the sole aim of helping the community is advisable; in return, you will get a reward for your time and the good gesture of saving lives and helping needy patients.
