General facts related to Plasma and its Donations

Human Plasma is a life saving substance which constitutes about 55 % of total human blood volume. This wonderful substance consists of various proteins, glucose, humans and carbon dioxide and is responsible for binding all the constituents of human blood and transporting of various substances throughout the human body. Being the substance of worth its scarcity in the body can lead to many diseases and infections so having adequate amounts of plasma in humans is necessary. If such scarce conditions occur it can be administered to the people which is in turn is collected from Plasma Donation done by healthy donors.

Plasma Donation is considered as a noble deed as by giving Human Plasma one can save many lives. The collected samples from its donations are synthesized into various medical therapies and vaccines which can be utilized to provide medications for people suffering from various chronic diseases. Surely, human plasma is one of the key blood components needed for modern medical practice.

Some of the general facts associated with this life saving substance and its donation are given here:

·         It is the liquid portion of blood and contains all the substances essential for normal blood clotting.

·         Anyone with 16 years of age  and above with a minimum body weight of 110 pounds can donate.

·         The human body replaces the donated amount within 24 - 48 hours. So donating will not decrease your strength. However, you may fell little dizziness and irritations for some time post the donations.

·         A donor can donate not more than 2 times in a week.

·         Plasma Donation is taken through a process called ‘Plasmapheresis’. The maximum time spent on the machine during this process may be 1 - 3 hours depending upon the patient’s weight, height and the amount that is being extracted.

·         All donors must go through a brief medical examination, medical history screening, and testing for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis before the donations. Once they are qualified then only they can donate.

·         On an average, a single donor gives about 0.8 liter per visit.

·         All the sample collection equipments are sterilized and used only once. So, there is no danger of transmitting any kind of infection or disease to the donors.

·         Each year in the U.S.A, around 11 million liters of plasma are donated.

·         20 million liters of samples are used worldwide every year to manufacture plasma protein therapies for patients with blood clotting disorders, immune deficiencies or autoimmune or neurological disorders.

·         It takes about 130 plasma donations to manufacture enough therapy to keep one patient with primary immune deficiency disease healthy for about 1 year.

·         Approximately 16,500 people in the U.S.A are affected by diseases like hemophilia which require Plasma protein therapies as a treatment.

·         Only 3% of people in the U.S.A have an AB-positive blood type who is the universal donor. And samples collected from them are mostly used in emergencies, for newborns and for patients requiring massive transfusions.

·         Frozen samples of this substance can be stored till about 1 year.

·         The #1 reason people go to Plasma Donation is to help others.

·         Two most common excuses made by people who do not donate are like ‘Never thought about it’ and ‘I don't like needles.’

These are some of the many facts related to Human plasma and plasma donations. By donating a little amount of your body plasma you can save many lives around the world. Though this process can be a bit painful but the life saving fact associated with it is far more than the amount of pain. So donate it and save lives!