Is it better to donate plasma or donate blood?

Question

I've been donating blood on the regular for years now...since i was 17. I have the rarest of the blood so i feel like i have no excuse to not donate. When i got to college everyone was talking about donating plasma and how you can get paid for it. I did it a few times in school but stopped once i graduated. Gas is nearing $20 a gallon so having extra money in my pocket wouldn't be a bad thing...but y do they pay you to give plasma and not blood? Would i be helping out more if i gave blood?

Answer 1

Plasma can be helpful to patients as well. But generally speaking the most helpful is the whole shabang. Donors who are anemic are generally only able to donate plasma but every little bit helps!  

Answer 2

The blood products you donate at the Red Cross or wherever else go to human transfusions.

Any blood product you sell goes to research.  

They do not use paid for blood in transfusions, in the US at least, because people are more likely to lie on the screening in order to get the money.

Answer 3

Plasma is just the watery part of your blood. The full blood donation includes platelets and red blood cells, and these can be of benefit to many more people than just the plasma.

Answer 4

Plasma is used primarily to treat coagulopathies, or bleeding disorders resulting from liver disease, hemophillia (although rarely used now that there are specific factors which can be infused) warfarin overdose and dilutional coagulopathy (from too much fluid replacement). Whole donated blood is usually separated into it's components, like packed red cells, plasma and platelets. You can help three times as many people with whole blood donation as single plasma donation. This is counterbalanced by the fact that you can donate plasma more often (since your red cells and the like are returned to you).

As a rare blood type, it is more important that you donate whole blood, than plasma.