Research Reports

How to donate blood safely

Safe blood and blood products have a direct and lifesaving impact on countless individuals. The availability of safe blood contributes significantly to reducing morbidity and mortality rates and improving the quality of life for patients in need. Every two seconds, someone in India needs blood. It is estimated that over 12,000 persons die every day in India due to non-availability of blood. Unfortunately, in our country, many people who need transfusions do not have timely access to safe blood.

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Donation of Blood Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Myocardial Infarction: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

Because high body iron stores have been suggested as a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction, donation of blood could theoretically reduce the risk by lowering body iron stores. For this reason, the authors tested the hypothesis that voluntary blood donation is associated with reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction in a prospective epidemiologic follow-up study in men from eastern Finland. The subjects are all participants of the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. A cohort of 2, 862 men aged 42–60 years were followed for an average of almost 9 years. One man (0.7%) out of 153 men who had donated blood in 24 months preceding the baseline examination experienced an acute myocardial infarction during 1984 to 1995, whereas 316 men (12.5%) of 2, 529 non-blood donors had an acute myocardial infarction (p < 0.0001 for difference between proportions).

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