Today is World Blood Donor Day, a day set aside by the World Health Organisation, in collaboration with other global bodies, to raise awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products; and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.

 

This year marks the 10th anniversary and the focus is on the value of donated blood to the patient, not only in saving life, but also in helping people live longer and more productive lives.

 

Generally, people need blood transfusion for a variety of reasons; but beyond helping someone in dire need of life, experts say when you donate blood, you are also helping your body to function optimally, leading to overall wellness.

 

In our age of so-called “healthy eating,” virtually all foods are enriched with vitamins, iron and minerals, ostensibly to boost health. Yet, experts warn that it is very possible to overdose on vitamins and iron, with dire consequences if quick and adequate steps are not taken to rid the body them.

 

Generally, the body needs iron to provide haemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells) the mechanism through which it can bind to oxygen and carry it throughout the tissues for proper oxygenation; otherwise, your cells may start dying quickly.

 

Physicians warn that if you have too little iron, you may experience fatigue, decreased immunity or iron-deficiency anaemia, which can be fatal if left untreated.

 

But then, how much iron does your body need to function optimally? That’s where the issue is. If you eat balanced diet regularly, it is certain that you are getting your daily iron need from your meals. However, sometimes, the meals you take are also fortified with iron.

 

So, when you take (iron-fortified) cornflakes, milk and some meat or dairy products as breakfast, for instance, the tendency is that you are on your way to overdosing on iron.

 

The health implication is unimaginable. General Practitioner, Dr. Daniel Craig, says the human body has a limited capacity to excrete iron; as such, he warns, it can easily build up in organs like the liver, heart and pancreas.

 

“This is dangerous, because iron is a potent oxidiser and can damage the body tissues, contributing to serious health issues such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and bacterial/viral infections,”  he warns.

 

How can one get rid of excess iron in the body, then? The doctor says it is mainly “by bleeding.” Craig notes that women who menstruate regularly rarely suffer from iron overload. “But the story is not the same for most adult men and post-menopausal women who tend to be at a high risk for iron overload and all of its toxicity, simply because they don’t menstruate.

 

Scientists also warn that high iron levels in the blood can lead to the production of free radicals that can damage neurons in the brain — a contributory factor to Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Again, a study published in peer review journal, Cell Report, states, “It is clear from epidemiological studies that excess iron is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer.”

 

The researchers, led by Dr. C. Radulescu, posit that “iron is a potent modifier of intestinal tumorigenesis (transformation of normal cells in the intestines into cancer cells) and has important implications for dietary iron supplementation in patients at high risk of colorectal cancer.”

 

Again, those who love to combine alcoholic beverages with barbecued meat or beef pepper soup also stand the risk of iron overload.

 

A nutritionist, Dr. Grace Olaiya, says those who take alcoholic drinks — including wines — on regular basis may have excess iron in their blood. She says, “If you drink wine or beer alongside steak, you will likely be absorbing more iron than your body needs.”

 

Again, physicians say most well (or bore hole) water contains high level of iron, but many people don’t know and they just drink on.

 

“Imagine the level of iron that such people will have in their blood as they drink the water day in, day out. Worse still, imagine what is probably going on in their bodies when they use such water to take multivitamins or other supplements, most of which almost always contain iron,” Craig enthuses.

 

Physicians therefore urge people to donate blood regularly as a way of ridding the body of possible excess iron.

 

At a press briefing marking the WBDD on Thursday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, notes that the largest users of blood each year is the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of any hospital, mainly because the major cause of death during childbirth is bleeding.

 

“Safe blood needs to be available in adequate quantity for obstetric emergencies for the reduction of maternal maternity,” Idris says.

 

He laments that currently, approximately eight per cent of all the blood transfused in Lagos is from voluntary donors — a far cry from the WHO recommendation that 100 per cent of blood supply should be from voluntary donors.

 

The Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety at WHO, Dr. Neelam Dhingra, says it is only via this avenue that “the safety and quality of blood and blood products will never be compromised.”

 

Idris notes that blood from voluntary donors is the best because such people donate for altruistic reasons, while paid donors’ reasons are, at best, suspect and, at the worst, dangerous. All General Hospitals in the state, and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, have been designated as blood donation centres.

 

Idris also discloses that in recognition of the critical role of blood donation and transfusion in saving lives, the government had established by law the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee on June 1, 2004, with the sole mandate to ensure that Lagos becomes a state where only safe blood is transfused in all appropriate health facilities.

 

Consultant Haematologist and Executive Secretary, LSBTC, Dr. Modupe Olaiya, calls for appropriate law to sanction unregulated and commercial blood donation in the state. She notes that, “Absence of an enabling law towards this end is part of the reasons why commercial and dangerous blood donation thrives.”

 

The chairman of LSBTC, Dr. Adetoun Agbe-Davies, encourages people to donate blood, saying through the exercise, many get to know for the first time their blood group, genotype, blood count and other issues relating to blood health.

 

She says, “There are many health benefits inherent in blood donation. When you come to donate blood voluntarily, you will receive a mini physical examination to check your pulse, blood pressure, body temperature and haemoglobin levels. You may not be aware of all these necessary information if you don’t step forward to donate blood.”

 

She says blood donation is absolutely necessary because, currently, there are no substitutes for blood, even though research is continually being done to identify new alternatives to blood transfusion.

 

As for those who fear they don’t have enough blood to donate, physicians assure that the average adult body has 10-12 pints of blood, and that healthy adults may give regularly because the body quickly replaces the blood donated.

 

And if you are wondering how often you could donate blood, experts say you must wait at least eight weeks (56 days) when you donate blood before you can repeat the process.

 

In terms of age and sex, physicians say a donor must be of legal age, weigh at least 50kg (or 68kg for women) and be in good health.

 

By Solaade Ayo-Aderele

Punch