Blood flows in our veins and conveys to us the immortality and fluidity of life. Blood is a very important metaphor of Urdu literature.
So reliable that at every turn of life we are prompted to find a new way from the blood. When the tongue is deprived of speech, the fingers are dipped in the blood of the heart and the tongue of the dagger becomes silent, then the blood of the sleeve cries out and reveals the identity of the murderer.
It is a sign of the stability of the blood and the durability of the mood that one has to wait for a long time to see the unblemished green spring because the blood stains remain on the foothills even after many rains.
Blood is a hot flame that can consume the body with its heat, that’s why the word of blood creates negative feelings of fear and anxiety in the human mind, but when it comes to donating blood, thoughts of selflessness and sacrifice arise. and new chapters of human dignity and honor are opened.
June 14, is the day that is known as Blood Donors Day worldwide. The World Health Organization started celebrating this day in 2005 with the support of International Red Cross Society and Anjuman Hilal Ahamr and till today this series continues without any interruption. Here the question arises as to why June 14 was chosen to celebrate this day. The answer to this question is very interesting and has a special historical background.
Karl Landsteiner was a famous physician and biologist. He belonged to Austria. He was born on 14 June 1868 and died on 1943. He was a very capable person and he made the world aware of different blood groups for the first time. In recognition of his ability, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1930.
Karl Landsteiner’s birthday i.e. June 14 has been declared as Blood Donor Day by the World Health Organization and this day has been celebrated globally for the last 18 years.
Before discussing the different blood groups, it is better to mention a little about the blood itself. What is blood and what is the purpose of its presence in our body?
Blood is the red liquid substance that circulates in our arteries and veins and this circulation is the guarantee of our life. When the blood comes out of the veins, its circulation stops and it clots in no time. With reference to this attribute of blood, Sahir Ludhianvi wrote his famous poem entitled “Khon Phir Khun Hai”.
Cruelty is cruelty, it grows and disappears
Blood is blood again, the drop will freeze
Blood consists of plasma, red and white cells and platelets.
Plasma: The largest component of blood. It contains water, protein and other nutrients. 55% of blood consists of plasma. Red and white cells and platelets are the components suspended in plasma and make up 45 percent of blood.
Red cells: They carry oxygen throughout the body and return with carbon dioxide. Their disintegration process continues in the blood and their life span is four months or 120 days.
White cells: These are the most important part of our body’s defense system. They fight against external invaders and various diseases.
Platelets: These prevent blood from leaving the body and help it to clot in case of bleeding.
Whole blood has the following purposes:
Supply of oxygen to the whole body and release of carbon dioxide
Delivering different hormones and important nutrients to different parts of the body.
Maintaining a certain body temperature.
In case of any injury, it helps to prevent blood flow from the body and helps it to clot.
Delivering the waste materials of the body to the liver and kidneys.
* Fighting defense against external invaders (eg germs and viruses) and protecting the body from various diseases.
Now this important question comes before us, when is the need for blood transfusion or blood transfusion? The fact is that blood is given to any person when there is a severe loss of blood due to a disease or an accident and it is not possible to make up for this loss through medication alone. Well, our body contains five to six liters of blood and it is equal to about eight percent of our body weight.
In case of severe anemia, the patient is usually given blood of the same group. As a result of wrong blood transfusion, there is a risk of reaction in the patient’s body and this reaction can be fatal.
At this point it is very important to introduce the different blood groups. Here we identify blood groups based on the English alphabet. Thus we come across four groups called A, B, AB and O. Rhesus System (Rhesus System) further divides these four groups on positive and negative basis and thus a total of eight groups are formed.
People who are group positive have rhesus antigen on their red cells, while people with negative group do not have rhesus antigen on their red cells. Remember that Rhesus Antigen is a type of protein.
93% of people in the world belong to positive blood group while the number of people belonging to negative group is around 7%. If the population of the world is analyzed on the basis of blood group, this situation emerges.
O positive group (O+) 42 percent
A positive group (A+) 31 percent
B positive group (B+) 15 percent
AB positive group (AB+) 5%
O negative group (O-) 3 percent
A negative group (A-) 2.5 percent
B negative group (B-) 1 percent
AB negative group (AB-) 0.5 percent
This ratio may vary in different regions and races of the world.
At the time of blood transfusion, care is taken to provide blood of the same group to the patient, but in emergency situations, blood of another group can be given under the supervision of a specialist doctor. Some rules of blood transfusion should never be forgotten.
Group-negative patients should never receive group-positive blood, although group-positive patients can receive group-negative blood.
People of group O can donate blood to people belonging to any group, but they themselves cannot be given any blood other than group O.
Patients belonging to AB group can be given blood of any group, but they cannot donate blood to patients of any other group except AB group.
People belonging to group A cannot donate to group B or receive from them.
People of group B cannot donate blood to or receive blood from people belonging to group A.
Sometimes people belonging to the same group may have a mild reaction, so before blood transfusion, it is necessary to confirm in the laboratory that the patient’s blood is ready to accept the donated blood. The laboratory verification process is called cross match.
Historical background of blood transfusion
In 1667, blood was given to a human being for the first time in the history of the world. This work was done by a French doctor, John Baptiste. In his first experiment, the French doctor injected the blood of a lamb into the human body.
Gradually, human blood began to be supplied to patients. Until then, the world did not know about the different blood groups, so in the early experiments, transfusions saved many lives, but patients also suffered blood reactions due to transfusions of the wrong group. .
Establishment of blood bank
The first blood bank was established by Canadian Dr. Henry Norman Bethune (1890 – 1939). During World War I, the bank donated blood to the wounded.
The first blood bank was established in the UK in 1922 to store voluntary blood donations. The Soviet Union established the first blood bank in the 1930s to supply blood to hospitalized patients. Dr. Bernard Flints formally used the term blood bank in 1937 and established a blood bank in Chicago, USA.
Why blood transfusion?
There are many diseases that require a regular supply of blood for sufferers such as hemophilia, thalassemia, anemia, sickle cell disease, liver disease, kidney failure and various forms of cancer. People injured in accidents may also need blood.
Similarly, blood transfusion may be required during major operations, gynecology and childbirth.
Problems arising from blood transfusion
Patients may suffer from sensitivity or allergy. They may have complaints of itching, fever, nausea and vomiting.
If the patient’s body does not accept the blood, the red cells of the donated blood can be destroyed.
Sometimes the donated red blood cells can destroy the patient’s own red cells.
In case of excessive blood supply, the patient’s body may have an excess of blood and its various components, especially iron or steel.
If the blood is not clean, AIDS and hepatitis viruses can enter the patient’s body, as well as the germs of many other diseases can also attack.
Syphilis is usually transmitted through sexual intercourse, but there is a possibility of transmission through the blood of a patient suffering from this disease.
Now we come to the most important question, who can donate blood?
Every human body has three bottles of extra blood stored in it. A healthy person between the ages of 18 and 60 and weighing more than 110 pounds can donate blood every three months. Donating blood does not cause any harm but results in better results.
It helps in controlling the amount of fat in the blood and increases the immunity of a person. Within three months, new blood is formed and added to the body’s reserves. Patients with diabetes and high blood pressure can also donate blood provided their disease is under control.
On this occasion, the question also comes up that who can not donate blood?
Patients with cancer cannot donate blood, especially those who are undergoing chemotherapy.
Hepatitis B and C patients
Patients with AIDS or HIV
People suffering from heart and lung diseases
People who have neurological diseases
People suffering from various sexual diseases
People suffering from anemia or blood deficiency
Drug addicts, especially those who use drugs by injection.
People suffering from various blood diseases such as hemophilia and thalassemia etc
Those who are suffering from fever and cold for the last two days and are using antibiotics. Such people have to wait for 14 days after recovery.
What is the form of blood transfusion?
At the time of donation, blood is in its original form consisting of plasma, red and white cells and platelets. This blood is called whole blood. Once upon a time patients were given only whole blood but now this trend has become less.
Whole blood is now transfused only to patients who have had an emergency massive blood loss. Nowadays many products are prepared from original blood and supplied to patients as needed.
In fact, these products consist of various components of blood that are separated from the original blood and preserved. Generally four types of products are manufactured.
* Red blood cells or packed cells
Platelets
Fresh Frozen Plasma
Blood components or factors that prevent blood from flowing and help in clotting.
In this way, one person’s donated blood can benefit many patients at the same time.
Before transfusing the blood to the patient, the donated blood is thoroughly tested in the laboratory to ensure that the blood is safe, free of any germs and viruses. In Pakistan, blood is usually tested for five different diseases including Hepatitis B and C, AIDS, Malaria and Syphilis.
In the final stage, through a laboratory test, it is also confirmed that the patient’s blood is ready to receive another person’s blood and there is no risk of any reaction.
The number of blood donors in Pakistan is very low and people suffer from fear, anxiety and various illusions due to lack of proper information. And clear their doubts. Some people also express concerns from a Shariah point of view.
In this regard, we have reviewed the opinions of various scholars. As a result of this, this common position comes out that there is no Shariah evil in donating blood, but it is a reward. By donating blood, people’s lives are protected and this is the intention of the Shariah. However, blood donation should be voluntary. There is no justification for buying and selling in this regard.
Remember! Donating blood is a kindness that comes back to us. We have to come forward and get rid of all doubts and actively donate blood. Any delay on our part can bring someone to the doorstep of death.
(Dr. Iftikhar Barni is a Psychiatrist and the Central General Secretary of Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA).)
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