Re: Apheresis

Beth Friedman <bjf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> My mother has that -- polycythemia.  (Not to be confused with the
> fatal "xenopolycythemia" that showed up in an episode of _Star
> Trek_.)  She takes medication for it, but she also goes in to be
> bled from time to time.  She was annoyed to discover that her blood
> can't be used for standard donation, ...

It can, as it's perfectly good blood, but it isn't.  That policy is to
prevent someone with that condition from hiding, say, AIDS exposure
so as to get bled for free by the Red Cross rather than paying to be
bled.  There ought to be a better way.

Ironically, people who unknowingly have that condition who become
regular donors may never have any symptoms, as they're inadvertently
treating it.  It's statistically certain that there are many such
people.  For all I know, I may be one.
-- 
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html
before emailing me.