Q: I donate whole blood every 3 months to the American Red Cross. I give platelets
once a month to Atlanta Blood Services . I noticed that when I do this, my pressure is lowered. It’s my belief that fresh/renewed red blood cells or replenished platelets may reduce water retention/sodium in my blood. I was wondering what blood product, (ie red blood cells, platelets, or plasma) contains the most water or sodium? Is there any research that supports this belief? I would like to know what impact does donating blood products have on high blood pressure.
A: Donating blood causes only a temporary reduction in blood pressure. I am not aware of any studies showing donating blood reduces water retention by the body. Plasma contains more water than any other component of your blood. Frequent blood donation does reduce the iron stores of the body. Frequent donors are at risk for developing anemia. Make sure your diet contains enough iron to replenish your supply. For a listing of iron rich foods go to this page on The American Red Cross site.
Donating blood is a wonderful gift to mankind. Your gift saves lives. To learn more about donating blood go to this page on The American Red Cross site.
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I always wondered about that too. I know that you cannot donate blood if your iron is low, so once the iron is replenished, it shouldn’t be a problem to donate frequently.
Take a plastic zip closure bag and fill it with water. Close the zipper. The water will exert pressure on the bag. Now take some of the water out. The water will exert less pressure on the bag. Same thing when you donate blood, you have less volume in your vessels and the pressure will be reduced. As soon as your body replaces the lost blood, the pressure will return to normal.
I am a regular donor and I’ve always wondered whether when post-menopausal women donate they are simulating the effects of a menstrual period, and whether that might alter the various health risks that go up after menopause.
Also, in case anyone doesn’t know, when you go to donate they check your blood pressure and pulse and also iron levels. They won’t accept a donation if any of these are outside acceptable levels. Matter of fact, I went to donate six months or so ago, and they deferred me because of my blood pressure – which had never been high before – which is what motivated me to go see a doctor about it. Now I’m on medication and back to donating..
CAN BLOOD PRESSURE PATIENT CAN DONATE BLOOD, AS I KNOW IF BLOOD PRESSURE PATIENT DONATE BLOOD THE PATIENT IF TAKES BLOOD PRESSURE PATIENT BLOOD HE ALSO GETS BLOOD PRESSURE.
Well this is news to me. Last time I tried to donate blood they said it was “too high” and that donating blood often raises one’s blood pressure. This was on one of those hospital buses that travel around where they told me this.