The Taiwan Blood Services Foundation said yesterday that much of the blood donated in Taiwan is unusable because of elevated lipid levels.
Foundation staffer Chen Shih-li (陳世利) said the percentage of “fatty blood” collected by the foundation in the last three years has been steadily climbing — from 3.7 percent in 2008 to 4.7 percent last year, to 8.8 percent reported from January to April this year.
Recipients of such blood can end up with clogged arteries, which can lead to other serious complications, Chen said.
PHOTO: CNA
At times, the foundation is forced to dispose of entire bags of donated blood, he said, urging donors to adhere to a low-fat diet and to avoid eating prior to making their donations.
At a carnival yesterday in Taipei held to mark World Blood Donor Day, which is today, veteran donor Judy Wang, 50, said she had given blood more than 50 times since her first donation 30 years ago when she was a high school student.
“I make sure I am always in good health because I want to make sure the blood I donate is usable. If I am going to get pricked by a needle every three months, I want to be certain that my blood won’t get tossed away,” she said.
One of her relatives had to have a blood transfusion before, Wang said, adding that it had strengthened her motivation to keep donating because “you never know who you will end up helping.”
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