Getting to Know Your Blood
1. There are four main types of red blood cells: A, B, AB, and O.
2. The four types were first categorized in 1901 by Dr. Karl Landsteiner.
3. Red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate are the four main components that make up your blood.
4. It's the job of the red blood cells to bring fresh oxygen to the body's tissues and organs.
5. The lifespan of a red blood cell is about 120 days.
6. Blood's ability to clot depends on platelets which promote clotting.
7. Plasma is made up of salt, water, and protein.
8. Blood is made up mostly of plasma; it accounts for 55% of blood volume.
9. Red blood cells, plasma, and platelets are produced by healthy bone marrow.
10. Your first line of defense against infections? Your white blood cells.
11. One job of white blood cells: searching for and destroying bacteria inside blood vessels.
12. Seven percent of your body weight is blood.
13. The average adult has 10 pints of blood in his body. That's 1.25 gallons.
14. Compare that to the blood supply of the average newborn, who only has about 1 cup of blood in her body.
Blood and Disease
15. A blood transfusion replaces infected or underperforming blood with healthy blood.
16. During a transfusion, about 2.7 pints are used.
17. Children with cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types, especially type O.
18. Low red blood cell levels can result in anemia.
19. Transplant operations require several pints of blood and platelets to be successfully performed.
20. In the United States, over 80,000 people have sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder that results in misshapen red blood cells.
21. Ninety-eight percent of people with sickle cell disease are of African descent.
22. Monthly blood transfusions are a common treatment for sickle cell patients.
23. Transplant surgeries can be cancelled, even with a compatible organ, if compatible blood is not available.
24. Despite many medical advances, there is no synthetic substitute for human blood.
Donating Blood25. People who donate blood do so on a volunteer basis. 26. Blood that has been paid for cannot be used for transfusions. 27. The US and Canada donate 43,000 pints of blood every year. 28. That's 5,375 gallons. 29. In the time it took you to read this sentence, one person needed blood. 30. Only 10 percent of the population donates blood annually. 31. Thirty-eight percent of the population is eligible to donate. 32. A healthy adult can donate blood every two months. 33. Of the blood types, AB is a universal recipient and can accept any type of blood. 34. Type O negative blood is the universal donor. 35. If you only want to donate specific parts of your blood (like plasma or platelets), you can through a special process called aphaeresis. 36. The shelf life of donated red blood cells is 42 days. 37. Plasma can last a bit longer -- up to a year. 38. Platelets have the shortest donated-life, at just five days. 39. Every unit of donated blood undergoes 13 tests before being available for use. 40. The summer and winter holidays have the most shortages of all blood types. 41. Blood types that are hardest to come by? Type O and type B. 42. Most donors give twice a year. If all current donors gave three times a year, it would be rare to have a blood shortage. 43. Blood shortages would also be rare if one percent more of Americans donated yearly. 44. If you began to donate blood at age 17, and continued to donate every two months until you were 79, you would donate almost 47 gallons of blood. 45. After giving blood, your fluid levels return to normal in hours. In four weeks, your red blood cells will have been replenished. 46. Half of the donated blood in the U.S. is donated through drives organized by schools, companies, and community centers. 47. 10 minutes: time it takes to draw donated blood. 48. 1 hour: time it takes to donate blood from the time you walk in the door until the time you leave.49. The #1 reason blood donors say they give is because they "want to help others." 50. After September 11, 2001, 500,000 Americans donated blood.Reference URL: http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=12
