The Many Ways Plasma Donations Help

By Shelby Smoak, Ph.D.

Because of the number of people who rely on plasma for medical treatment, there has been a growing need for years. Nearly 10,000 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S. Plasma makes up only 55% of blood and is itself about 92% water, but is critical to life.1

Every year it takes approximately 1200 donations to treat 1 person with hemophilia; 900 donations for a person with Alpha-1; and more than 300 donations for a person with an immune deficiency. And that’s just a few of the many conditions plasma donation support.

Your Donations Matter!

To understand the myriad of ways your plasma can help, here’s a list of conditions where blood donations are essential for treatment:


General Conditions:
  • Anemia, or low hemoglobin: Condition where a person lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body.
  • Animal bites: The CDC estimates almost 4.5 million dog bites occur each year2, of which many must be treated with plasma due to blood loss.
  • Cancer: Condition whose illness and therapy can cause reduction in platelets.
  • Hereditary angioedema: Rare, inherited disorder with accumulation of fluids outside of the blood vessels, blocking the normal flow of blood or lymphatic fluid.
  • Burn victims: Plasma works as a resuscitation fluid to restore intravascular volume status and vessel integrity.
  • Organ transplants: Organ donations are only one part of the equation for a successful transplant; plasma is the other.
  • Sickle cell: Inherited disorder that causes abnormally-formed red cell production whose “sickle” shape clogs blood vessels.
  • Surgery patients: Plasma helps persons undergoing extensive surgeries where blood loss is likely.
  • Trauma victims: Plasma aids those who have lost blood due to trauma.

Autoimmune and Immunodeficiences:

  • Primary immune deficiency (PID): Genetic condition that prevents the body’s immune system from functioning properly. Over 400 types are estimated with many treated by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy.

  • Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), or Guillain-Barre syndrome: Rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves.

  • Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), or thrombocytopenia: Autoimmune disorder that results in low blood platelets, the cells essential for blood clotting.

  • Kawasaki disease: Disorder affecting children that causes swelling in blood vessels, especially coronary arteries.

  • Rh incompatibility: Condition during pregnancy where the mother’s blood type is Rh-negative and fetus is Rh-positive and sometimes requires IVIG therapy.

Blood Disorders:

  • Hemophilia A: Inherited bleeding disorder caused by lack of clotting Factor VIII.

  • Hemophilia B: Inherited bleeding disorder caused by lack of clotting Factor IX.

  • Von Willebrand disease (VWD): Most common bleeding disorder where a person is missing or has low amounts of clotting protein von Willebrand factor.

  • Alpha-1, antitrypsin deficiency: Hereditary disorder that results in low levels of AAT in the blood which can result in life-threatening lung and liver disease.

  • Thalassemia: Inherited blood disorder that causes your body to have less hemoglobin than normal.

  • Aplastic anemia: Rare but serious blood condition where bone marrow cannot make enough blood cells for your body to function normally.

  • Factor I (fibrinogen) deficiency: Inherited bleeding disorder missing fibrinogen which helps platelets “stick together” after injury

  • Factor II (prothrombin) deficiency: Inherited bleeding disorder where prothrombin, precursor to thrombin, is absent or malfunctioning.

  • Anti-Thrombin III deficiency, or thrombophilia: Inherited or acquired bleeding disorder whose lack causes higher than normal clot formations.

  • Factor V (proaccelerin) deficiency, also known as parahemophilia: Inherited bleeding disorder where protein catalyst FV is lacking, impacting the initial phase of the clotting process.

  • Factor VII (proconvertin) deficiency: Most common of the rare bleeding disorders where lack of FVII, which initiates clotting cascade, causes disruptions in clot formations.

  • Factor X (Stuart-Prower factor) deficiency: Inherited bleeding disorder with lack of Factor X protein which helps activate enzymes that help form a clot.

  • Factor XI deficiency, also known as hemophilia C: Inherited bleeding disorder with lack of Factor XI, which helps generate thrombin and leads to a clot within the factor cascade.

  • Factor XIII deficiency: The rarest factor deficiency disorder which lacks FXIII, which stabilizes the formation of clots.

Where Can I Donate Plasma?

To find a plasma donation center in your area, click the button below to visit donatingplasma.org.

Stay informed on the latest trends in healthcare and specialty pharmacy.

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, BioMatrix Abstract.

By giving us your contact information and signing up to receive this content, you'll also be receiving marketing materials by email. You can unsubscribe at any time. We value your privacy. Our mailing list is private and will never be sold or shared with a third party. Review our Privacy Policy here.

References

  1. Red Cross. “What is Plasma in Blood?” 1 June 2022. https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-information.html

  2. CDC. qtd. in: “Animal Bite Accident Statistics.” LegalMatch.com. 1 June 2022. https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/animal-bite-accident-statistics.html

Read More