Blood donations still vital

McCook Daily Gazette: If you’ve donated blood more than once, you have probably noticed how there always seems to be some new requirement or restriction, new questions and variations on the routine.

There may be one more question coming, according to a new report by food scientists, including two from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

They have found evidence that eating peanuts before you donate could cause a reaction in the recipient if he or she is allergic to the food.

A 6-year-old boy in the Netherlands who received a transfusion as part of his cancer treatment developed a rash, low blood pressure, swelling and had difficulty breathing — the same reaction he experienced at 1 year old after eating peanuts.

Three of the five blood donors involved recalled eating several handfuls of peanuts the evening before donation. Further tests confirmed the boy’s peanut allergy.

(Researchers) emphasize that it’s important not to overreact to the finding, since it involves only one person, and his immune system was compromised because of his illness.

More study is needed to determine whether this was an isolated case, or if blood banks need to ask one more question when screening donors.