(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Complications from donating blood may be turning away an increasingly important source of blood -- teenagers.
According to an American Red Cross study, 16- and 17-year-old blood donors are significantly more likely to experience donation-related complications like fainting and bruising.
Young donors are becoming increasingly important to the national blood supply. Donors between the ages of 16 and 19 are now responsible for 14.5 percent of blood donated to the American Red Cross.
In the study, reported complications increased as sample age decreased. More than 10 percent of 16- and 17-year-old donors reported them and only 2.8 percent of donors over age 20 did. In addition, researchers found that 16-year-old donors who experienced complications were 60 percent less likely to return to donate within 12 months than those who didn't experience complications.
"These data on common and infrequent complications of blood donation should be considered when age limits are deliberated by state authorities," study authors write. "Blood centers have an obligation to constantly monitor risks of blood donation and to make a concerted and committed effort to achieve the lowest possible rate of complications."
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Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008;299:2279-2286
