Blood Donation for High Blood Pressure

Doing good and benefiting yourself patients with high blood pressure can easily achieve both by donating blood regularly. This helps not only people who urgently need someone elses blood (because of illness or an accident), but also the donor who has high blood pressure. Donating blood is often possible even while taking blood-pressure-lowering medication. Whether a donation is compatible with your current medication is decided by the donation physician on site.

Because about 500 ml of blood are normally taken during a whole-blood donation, its not surprising that blood pressure drops immediately. This is due to the temporarily reduced blood volume circulating in the body. Thats why its important to drink after donating and to avoid physical exertion. The "lost" volume is quickly restored. Rebuilding the different blood components takes depending on the component up to two months. However, physical performance is not impaired during this time.

The blood-pressure-lowering effect in donors with hypertension is not only short-term but also lasting. The Berlin Charité observed a total of 300 blood donors in a study. Half of them had high blood pressure; the rest had normal blood pressure. They were observed over a period covering up to four regular blood donations that corresponds to nine to twelve months.

The observed blood pressure reduction in donors who started with moderate hypertension (grade II) is almost dramatic. Values fell by 17.1 mmHg systolic and 11.7 mmHg diastolic. Interestingly, the values in the normotensive control group remained stable. So no one with normal blood pressure needs to worry that donating blood will make their blood pressure too low.

The exact reason for this is not fully understood yet. There are several theories. For example, the reduced iron level after donation could lower oxidative stress on the vessels, helping them stay more elastic, which in turn benefits blood pressure regulation. Another theory suggests that levels of blood-pressure-raising hormones and metabolites drop after donation, lowering blood pressure. Because the "lost" blood cells must be rebuilt, the lowered blood pressure could also be related to that: the newly formed blood components may be more elastic and easier to deform, so it may take less pressure to pump them through the circulation.

Even those who dont donate regularly benefit as patients with high blood pressure. The blood-pressure-lowering effect after a single donation lasts about six weeks.

Regular blood donation is particularly interesting for people with hypertension given that even a small reduction in blood pressure of 2 to 3 mmHg can protect against potentially fatal cardiovascular diseases. The blood-pressure reduction achieved by regular blood donations is often much larger and can in some cases even surpass the effects of medication.

Regular blood donation also improved donors quality of life. They generally felt more energetic, which may be due to an improved ability to neutralize free radicalsor simply from the knowledge that they were doing something good.

However, there are age limits for blood donors. At present, new donors are eligible up to their 65th birthday. Experienced donors may give blood up to their 73rd birthday. This restriction exists solely to protect donors. The blood itself does not lose quality as the donor gets older.

If you have questions about blood donation, you can find lots of information and answers on the website of the BRK blood donation service: https://www.blutspendedienst.com/blutspende/spendeinfos/fragen-antworten#entry-17. Local blood donation dates can, for example, be found on the DRK website: https://www.blutspende.de/

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This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 02/2024).

Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.

Blood Donation for High Blood Pressure

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