Assessment of Blood Donation Safety by People Diagnosed with Diabetes, Hypertension, Malaria and Cancer

Abstract

The present review aims to assess the blood donation safety by people suffered from diabetes, hypertension, malaria and cancer. Diabetes, hypertension, malaria and cancer have become common health problems in human society. Cases of blood transfusion-transmitted malaria, hypertension, cancer and the safety of blood donation by diabetic people have been described around the world and highlighted in some studies. Diabetes is generally associated with complications and people with diabetes usually take different medications and may already have anaemia secondary to renal impairment, B12 deficiency. As for the recipient safety, a blood from a person with hyperglycaemia but otherwise healthy i.e. satisfy blood donation safety standards (no record of HIV, Hepatitis B or C) would be quite safe to receive as the extra glucose would simply be regulated and utilised by the recipient's body. Hypoglycemia is as bad as hyperglycemia and could be fatal and hence, generally, it is not desired that diabetics give blood donations. Diabetic patients taking bovine or porcine insulin may develop antibodies and it is not recommended that the antibody contaminated blood to be given to any other person. A person with hypertension can donate blood, as long as the blood pressure is normal at the time of blood donation and there’s no fluctuation. Malaria is also readily transmitted by blood transfusion through donations collected from asymptomatic, parasitaemic donors. The parasite is released into the bloodstream during its lifecycle and will, therefore, be present in blood donated by infected individuals. The presence of total anti-Plasmodium spp. antibodies in the bloodstream of individuals many years after exposure, with no history of malaria in the meantime, is important to highlight. Regarding donors with cancer blood donations should not be taken from people with recently active malignancies, except in the case of basal cell carcinoma or cervical carcinoma in situ.