When we talk about the blood in our bodies, we usually think of things like red blood cells , white blood cells , and platelets . But did you know that all of these cells are floating in a special liquid part of our blood? That's what we call plasma. To be precise, this is the silent hero of our blood system. Today, we'll talk about this plasma.
What is this plasma?
Simply put, plasma is the liquid part of your blood. Plasma makes up 55%, or more than half, of your total blood. Although we think of red when we think of blood, in reality, plasma alone is a pale yellow liquid. Our blood is red because of the red blood cells.
So what is this plasma made of?
Imagine, 90% of this is water. The remaining 10% is the most important part. It contains:
- Salts and Enzymes : Essential for chemical processes in the body.
- Antibodies : These antibodies are what protect us from diseases by fighting germs that enter our bodies.
- Proteins: Two types of proteins, especially albumin and fibrinogen, are very important in this.
Although our blood gets its red color from red blood cells, all of those cells, including those red blood cells, travel through this yellow liquid called plasma.
How important is plasma to our body?
Plasma is like a super delivery service inside our body. It also does many other things to keep our body healthy. Let's take a look at the main things it does.
| The function of plasma | What happens to it? |
|---|---|
| Transport of nutrients, hormones, and proteins | Plasma carries hormones that help our muscles and bones grow, nutrients like potassium and sodium that our cells need to function, and clotting factors that stop bleeding when we get injured, all throughout the body. |
| Blood pressure and volume control | Plasma helps maintain healthy blood pressure and blood volume in the body, which is what keeps blood flowing smoothly through our blood vessels. |
| Waste removal | Plasma also helps dissolve chemical waste from our cells and transport it to organs like the kidneys and liver to remove it from the body, much like a garbage collection service. |
| Maintaining immunity | Plasma carries the antibodies we talked about earlier throughout the body, giving our body a lot of strength to fight off bacterial infections. |
You can donate plasma to save a life!
Just like donating blood, you can also donate just the plasma. The plasma collected in this way is used by doctors to treat patients with very serious health problems. This can save many lives.
Here are some of the benefits of donating plasma:
- Accidents and burns: Plasma is given to patients with severe burns and trauma because the blood clotting factors and proteins it contains help the healing process.
- Cancer patients: Adults and children with cancer conditions such as leukemia sometimes need plasma transfusions.
- Organ transplant surgeries: Patients who receive liver or bone marrow transplants need plasma to help their bodies recover.
- Developing treatments for rare diseases: Special proteins and antibodies found in plasma are used to develop treatments for some rare immune system diseases.
- Hemophilia : This is a rare condition in which the blood does not have enough clotting factors. These patients can be treated with plasma to correct the deficiency.
What happens when you donate plasma?
Donating plasma is a little different than donating whole blood. To donate plasma, you must be 18 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds (50 kilograms) . You will also be screened for viral infections such as HIV and hepatitis before donating.
When you donate blood normally, the blood is collected directly into a collection bag and then separated in a lab. But when you donate plasma, the blood is taken from your arm and goes into a special machine. The machine separates out only the plasma, and the remaining red blood cells and other cells are put back into your body with a saline solution.
This means that you will feel much less tired than you would after a regular blood donation. The entire process usually takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Take-Home Message
- Plasma is the pale yellow liquid part that makes up 55% of our blood. It is essential for transporting nutrients around our body and protecting us from disease.
- Plasma helps maintain healthy blood pressure and remove waste from the body.
- Donating plasma is a great way to save lives, especially for those with cancer, burns, and rare diseases.
- The process of donating plasma is very safe. You won't feel any fatigue as the red blood cells are returned to your body.
- If you want to know more about this, talk to your doctor or ask at a blood donation center near you.
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