Pros and Cons of Donating Plasma

Saves lives and donates plasma that sums up the market position of corporate giants behind the plasma industry. Moreover, nowhere in the world is plasma heavily extracted and traded than in the United States.

Nowhere paid American donors to provide up to 70 percent of global supply and it is indeed a huge industry valuing at least $11 billion in 2014, up from 4 percent billion in 2018.

Market Dependency of Multi-Dollar Plasma

Market dependency of multi-dollar plasma is on collecting plasma from donors and it deals with cash problems despite the lack of standardized faculties. Thus the competent personnel only created bigger issues and for ages, it aided the spread of deadly diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis C among the hemophiliac community.

While it is true that for valuable life-saving products. It also increased industry practices used in the production of the majority of blood-related pharmaceuticals that could barely guarantee the absolute safety of consumers.

It is observed that it is true especially since donors are from improvised communities compelled to lie about their health to get paid. In this article, we are going to have a look at the pros and cons of donating plasma as this gives us a closer view of the industry’s commendable practices and shortcomings. It also helps to alert the public about the reality of plasma history and its importance to overall health.

Pros of Donating Plasma

First of all, let’s have a glance at the pros of donating plasma and these are as follows:

1) Plasma Donation Improves Overall Health

According to recent studies, regular donation of plasma and even whole blood has health benefits to the donor and rigid screening allows the donor to know his or her current status. It also provides support to be alerted of any early signs of diseases and by donating plasma or even whole blood, one circulatory system is renewed and enables the body to produce a new supply of blood.

2) Allow People to Help Others

People often feel good and happy about helping others and in the absence of any monetary possession, many people find it more satisfactory and more meaningful to lend a part of themselves to others in the case of organ and blood donors. On the other hand, plasma and other biological components are priceless possession to give to other.

3) Plasma Donation is a Relatively Safe Process

Donors go through strict screening to make sure that they are in top shape to donate in a typical plasma center and they might be physically healthy and not engaged with harmful lifestyles such as having tattoos, smoking, and drug abuse, etc. Tools and laboratory equipment used in the plasma center are checked for sanitation, safety, and functionality and finally to provide overall safety and overall health of donors and recipients. Competent lab personnel handles the screening and extraction processes.

4) Help People with Medical Needs

Blood plasma is also administrated to patients with leukemia or burns and those who have undergone surgery and other injuries, plasma is no longer blood competent. Plasma or more specifically blood plasma is a yellowish liquid, the protein reserves of the whole body and it helps help in keeping body electrolyte in process and helps to fight again infections.

Blood is extracted from the donor’s body and processed to separate plasma and then blood is transfused back into the donor’s body to harvest plasma. Hence the harvested plasma is then pooled, stored, and prepared for consumption medical.

5) Blood Plasma is Financially Helpful to Donors

Plasma donation pays about $50 per extraction, some pay more and some less for many donors the payment goes in a long way paying for food, rent, medicine, and other basic needs.

A company is disclosed on its website that payment depends on the time it takes to donate among other factors and this is because the amount of plasma a person can donate depends on his or her body weight. Heavier the donor, more plasma is collected and longer the extraction time and hence the time factor and it added the fees every month by location and concerning social promotions.

6) Risk of Having Serious Health Problems by Donating Plasma

This fact is not understood by researchers by how and why people keep on donating plasma on daily basis. It lowers the risk of developing serious health diseases such as cardiovascular disease then later in life.

Cons of Donating Plasma

Now it’s time to switch towards the cons of donating plasma and these are as follows:

1) Plasma Donation Brings About Immediate Effects on the Body Which are Serious

Possible side effects of donating plasma include dehydration, fainting, vein damage, and fatigue.

 People who cannot recover properly after donating plasma might feel nauseous and sleeping and then collapse for several hours and some donors then experience side effects that are serious and would need hospitalization to guarantee recovery.

Moreover, upon donation, the person experiences a reduction in plasma levels and an increase in infection risk. A recent report states that many of the plasma donors in the USA are homeless and aged, who are not actually at their prime to donate. Some of the donors might go beyond as far layers of clothes or ankle weights to cheat on their bodies. It also helps to have the chance to donate plasma and obtain money.

2) Depletes the Level of Calcium in the Body

Plasma centers use sodium extraction and other citric acid derivatives to make blood extraction faster and easier. Also, anticoagulants bond with calcium in the body and ultimately deplete it and people’s reactions to sodium citrate vary.

It also brings about usual symptoms such as fainting, tingling sensation, and numbness seizures. Other serious issues include osteoporosis, brittle bones, breathing difficulty, and chronic kidney conditions.

3) Blood Plasma is Like Body Prostitution

Several people criticize plasma, blood, and organ donation in exchange for money as a form of prostitution and according to critics, many people are forced to sell their body parts out of dire poverty and need. It comes along with giant industry players and this is body parts trade labeled as body parts donation to downplay its social, psychological, and financial donations.

Listed above are the pros and cons of donating plasma which must be kept in mind.