Can anemic people donate blood?

Written by Li Fang Fang

Hematology

Updated on September 09, 2024

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Patients with anemia cannot donate blood. After donating blood, due to the reduction of blood volume, it may worsen anemia and cause symptoms such as dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, vomiting, and other manifestations of low blood pressure. In severe cases, it can even induce acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents, so patients with anemia cannot donate blood. Clinically, the requirements for blood donors include not being anemic, weighing more than 45 kilograms, and being free of infectious diseases.

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Written by Li Fang Fang

Hematology

58sec

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How to check for anemia?

Anemia requires an initial routine blood test, which is a complete blood count. If it indicates a reduction in red blood cell count and a significant decrease in hemoglobin, it suggests anemia. Once anemia is indicated by the complete blood count, further tests are guided by the size of the red blood cell volume. If it is microcytic anemia, common types include iron deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease, and tests such as serum iron, ferritin, and tumor markers are needed. If it is normocytic anemia, a bone marrow biopsy is required to rule out aplastic anemia, multiple myeloma, etc. If it is macrocytic anemia, tests for folate and vitamin B12 are needed to exclude myelodysplastic syndrome and megaloblastic anemia, among others.

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Written by Zhao Li Li

Obstetrics

1min 4sec

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What to eat for postpartum anemia

In general, if anemia occurs postpartum, it is recommended to undergo further examination to understand the specific causes of postpartum anemia, and then to treat the condition accordingly. If iron deficiency anemia occurs postpartum, it is necessary to promptly supplement iron to correct the anemia symptomatically. If the anemia is due to a lack of certain vitamins leading to megaloblastic anemia, it still requires specific oral medication treatment based on the underlying cause. During the treatment process, it is also necessary to closely monitor the specific recovery from anemia after taking oral medications. If anemia persists without relief, further examinations are needed to exclude the possibility of blood system diseases causing the anemia. (Medication use should be carried out under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Li Fang Fang

Hematology

1min 5sec

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What indicators are used to diagnose anemia?

To determine if someone is anemic, we should look at the red blood cell count and hemoglobin level in a complete blood count. Currently, hemoglobin level is the commonly used indicator clinically. Normal hemoglobin levels are 110~150g/L for women and 120~160g/L for men. Anemia is diagnosed when the hemoglobin level falls below the normal range. Based on the amount of hemoglobin, anemia can be classified into very severe, severe, moderate, or mild. Hemoglobin levels above 90g/L indicate mild anemia, levels between 60~90g/L indicate moderate anemia, levels between 30~60g/L indicate severe anemia, and levels below 30g/L indicate very severe anemia.

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Written by Li Fang Fang

Hematology

1min 5sec

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Can anemia cause tinnitus?

Anemia can cause tinnitus. When anemia is severe, various organs of the body are in a state of ischemia and hypoxia. The nervous system can exhibit symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and a feeling of heaviness in the head, as well as tinnitus. At this point, infusing red blood cells to correct the anemia can alleviate symptoms like tinnitus. It is also important to actively seek the underlying causes of the anemia. Anemia can be categorized based on the size of red blood cells into microcytic hypochromic anemia, normocytic anemia, and macrocytic anemia. Microcytic hypochromic anemia is commonly seen in chronic disease anemia and iron deficiency anemia, normocytic anemia is commonly found in conditions such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and acute blood loss anemia, while macrocytic anemia is typical in megaloblastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.

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Written by Li Fang Fang

Hematology

47sec

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How to recuperate from anemia

How to nourish anemia depends on the specific cause of the anemia, and it varies with the specific cause. If the anemia is nutritional, this type is due to a lack of hematopoietic materials such as folic acid, vitamin B12, and iron. In this case, it is necessary to actively supplement these hematopoietic materials, including eating foods that are rich in these materials. However, if the cause of anemia is due to leukemia, aplastic anemia, myeloma, lymphoma, etc., then it is necessary to treat the underlying disease to improve the anemia. In addition, patients with anemia need to pay attention to rest, prevent catching cold, and prevent infections.