GPs key to saving 73,000 bags of discarded blood

New research has revealed that each year, 73,000 bags of blood are discarded rather than donated after blood is taken from haemochromatosis patients.
 
In a bid to better use this blood to save lives, the RACGP has teamed up with Lifeblood for a new campaign urging patients to rethink where their blood goes.
 
Currently in Australia, tens of thousands of people with the genetic condition are having their blood taken through pathology and GP services, typically every 12 weeks.
 
But startling new research has revealed that while almost 90% of donations from people with the condition are useable, 40% of patients surveyed did not know their blood could be used to save lives.
 
And with blood demand across Australia now at a 12-year high, patients are being urged to speak to their GP about donating their blood.
 
RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz told newsGP there remains a misconception in society about who is eligible for blood donation.
 
‘For GPs, it’s just making sure that when we make a diagnosis of haemochromatosis, that, alongside our advice to have the venesection done, coupling that with blood donation at a donation centre,’ she said.
 
‘Also to remind patients that now that the rules have changed, you can actually donate plasma in between the usual venesection visits.
 
‘Patients do report feeling that if the treatment of their medical condition results in something good for somebody else with a medical condition, that’s a really gratifying feeling, and there are very few examples of where that is possible.’
 
The research found that people with haemochromatosis make up 2.5% of the Australian blood donor panel, with 15,000 donors already making 37,000 donations every year at Lifeblood donor centres.
 
Already, donations from people with haemochromatosis save up to 111,000 lives every year.
 
Lifeblood researcher Dr Peter Bentley said that unlike many other chronic health problems, haemochromatosis has a ‘positive spin-off for others’.
 
‘People with the condition have the potential to contribute greatly to the blood supply as they often need to give blood frequently,’ he said.
 
‘We know that not everyone will be eligible to donate, or it may not be convenient if people don’t live close to a donor centre.
 
‘But we believe that even if some of those 73,000 bags of discarded blood, were donated at a Lifeblood centre, it would make a significant difference to the nation’s blood supplies and the lives of patients across Australia at a time of record-high demand.’
 
Australia became one of the first countries in the world to accept blood donations from people with haemochromatosis in 1988, followed by accepting plasma donations in 2022.
 
Dr Muñoz said some confusion about who can donate blood has come from overseas where, in some countries, those with hemochromatosis still cannot do so.
 
‘But here in Australia, we’re always needing more blood donations and there are some blood types that actually run down to critical,’ she said.
 
‘People can feel like they’re not only helping themselves, but helping others, and that really appeals to our altruistic nature, and it adds another dimension and another motivator for getting the blood drawn.
 
‘It’s a really golden opportunity for doing something good for the community and making people feel good about giving their blood to other people with other medical conditions.’
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

blood donation haemochromatosis Lifeblood Red Cross