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About the Wellness and Advanced Wellness Check

Wellness Check

All potential donors will have the following tests performed prior to donation to determine their eligibility:

Temperature – An increased body temperature, or fever, from the “normal” 98.6°F is often a good clinical indication of possible infection.  In the early stages of an infection, you may have an elevated body temperature in the absence of any other symptoms.
Blood pressure – High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common heart disease risk factor.  One in four adults has systolic blood pressure (the upper number) over 140, and/or diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) over 90, which is the definition of hypertension.  Early detection and taking steps to control your blood pressure can reduce your risk of heart disease.
Pulse – The National Stroke Association reports that stroke is the third leading cause of death in America.  One way to help prevent stroke is by taking your pulse to determine if your heartbeat is regular or very irregular.  A very irregular pulse rate could increase your risk for stroke if it is associated with atrial fibrillation.

Hemoglobin – Hemoglobin is a substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body tissues where it picks up carbon dioxide (a cellular waste product) and transports it to the lungs for elimination.  A deficiency of hemoglobin caused by a lack of iron can lead to anemia and an inadequate delivery of oxygen to the tissues. 

 

All eligible donors who successfully donate have the following tests performed on their blood:
ABO/Rh – An individual’s blood type is important information should the donor require a blood transfusion in the future.  It is also required information for admission into the armed forces, some training programs (police and fire department) and prior to employment in certain fields.

Total Cholesterol – The American Heart Association categorizes total blood cholesterol as:

            Desirable – Less than 200 mg/dL
            Borderline high risk – 200 to 239 mg/dL
            High risk – 240 mg/dL and over

 
Advanced Wellness Check

The lipid profile (fasting cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides) is a group of tests that are often ordered together to determine risk of coronary heart disease.  The tests that make up the profile have been shown to be good indicators of whether someone is likely to have a heart attack or stroke caused by blockage of blood vessels.

LDL cholesterol level – Your LDL cholesterol level greatly affects your risk of heart attack and of stroke.  The lower your LDL cholesterol, the lower you risk.  Your LDL cholesterol will fall into one of these categories:
           
            Less than 100 mg/dL                   Optimal
            100 to 129 mg/dL                        Near Optimal/Above Optimal
            130 to 159 mg/dL                        Borderline High
            160 to 189 mg/dL                        High
            190 mg/dL and above                 Very High

 

HDL cholesterol level – Low HDL cholesterol puts you at high risk for heart disease.  In the average man, HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50 mg/dL.  In the average woman, they range from 50 to 60 mg/dL.  HDL cholesterol that’s less than 40 mg/dL is low.
           
Triglyceride Level – Your triglyceride level will fall into one of these categories:

            Less than 150 mg/dL                   Normal
            150 to 199 mg/dL                        Borderline-high
            200 to 499 mg/dL                        High
            500 mg/dL or higher                    Very high

Many people with high triglycerides have underlying diseases or genetic disorders.
           
To obtain accurate lipid-profile results, the blood sample should be taken when the individual has been fasting (no food or drink for 12 hours).  Therefore, you will not be able to have a sample drawn for this testing at the same time you donate blood.  Samples will be drawn at one of our fixed-site facilities.  To schedule an Advanced Wellness Check, please call (713) 791-6260 or 1 (800) 791-1666.