Anemia Debunked

Statistically speaking, of the 60% of  Americans who can donate blood only about 5% actually do. That works out to be about 3% total of the 305,689,000 here in the States.

Why do blood centers get such a low turnout at their blood drives? I believe a large part has to do with misconceptions about who can and can’t donate.

As a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) here at Incept, I talk to literally hundreds of people a day as I try to schedule donors to donate. I hear a lot of good reasons why people can’t – ranging from having a crazy schedule to preparing for surgery – but one of the most common reasons is that the donor is anemic.

But what exactly is anemia?

Anemia comes in many forms and affects about 3-5 million Americans. The most common form is an iron-deficiency anemia. Iron levels in the body fluctuate day-to-day, so just because someone’s iron is low and they can’t donate one day doesn’t mean that they can never donate again. Women of childbearing age are particularly likely to have this form of anemia due to their menstrual cycle and the higher need for iron and red blood cells during pregnancy.

Some forms of anemia like iron-deficiency anemia are even considered “normal” and won’t interfere with daily life. A change in diet and iron supplements are usually all it takes to rebalance your system and get you ready to donate. Unfortunately, there are also more serious forms of anemia. Sickle-cell disease or sickle-cell anemia affects about 70,000 Americans, with nearly 2 million others carrying the trait.

With sickle-cell disease, the red blood cells are misshapen. Normal red cells are round with an indentation in the center whereas sickle-cells are shaped just as they sound – like a crescent or sickle. Sickle-cells have a tendency to get stuck in blood vessels and cause a lot of pain and can damage organs, muscles and the vessels themselves. They are also less able to carry oxygen to the cells that need it.

A carrier of the sickle-cell trait doesn’t necessarily have sickle-cell anemia, but carries the genetic code for it. Most often someone in their family has sickle-cell disease.

Those who actually have sickle-cell disease can’t donate, but someone who carries the trait is still eligible to be a donor. In fact, they can provide great platelets, making them perfect plasma donors! Sickle-cell patients often need blood transfusions to help prevent the risk of heart attack and stroke caused by the disease.

Strangely enough, I learned that a carrier of the sickle-cell trait was more likely to survive if they contracted malaria than a person with normal blood cells. Because their hemoglobin – or iron level – is different, it sticks to the malaria virus and gets shunted to the spleen where the cells and the virus are destroyed.

Anemia also includes chronic bleeding. Cancer, ulcers and gastritis, which is swelling and inflammation of the stomach can all cause anemia. This bleeding is a slow process and can go undetected for years. Overuse of pain killers, like aspirin or Motrin, can sometimes also cause anemia. It’s always best for a donor to talk to their doctor prior to donating blood if one of these conditions applies to them.

As stated previously, there are many types of anemia and just because you have one type doesn’t mean you can’t help out at your local blood drive. Whether or not you can donate, you can still help organize drives and inform others when they’ll be in your area. Blood is needed, especially for sickle-cell patients. Every little bit helps regardless of if you donate or just encourage others to do so.

[By the way, Web MD has a great page dedicated to anemia and ways to deal with it.]

Let me know what you think. Is there anyone out there who has sickle-cell and has needed transfusions? Or do you know a carrier of the trait who donates? I’d love to hear from you!