Your Good Health: ‘Super platelet donor’ concerned about high platelet count

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 58-year-old female in reasonably good health. When I was young, I donated blood several times and would have continued to do so, had I not become ineligible due to living in England during the mad cow disease outbreak. I happened upon something recently stating that this particular disqualifier has been lifted — so much to my delight that I made a blood donation.

After my donation, I was able to track where my platelets and plasma went. I also received a card in the mail telling me that I was a “super platelet donor” because I had a high platelet count . At first, I thought that must be a good thing, but researching “a high platelet count” made me think: “Oh, no!”

Most people know that O negative is the universal blood donor. They don’t have the A, B or D antigens in their red blood cells, so their cells can be given to anyone. In the case of platelets and plasma, what the blood bank is trying to avoid are antibodies. People with an AB blood type have no A or B antibodies, so their plasma and platelets are the safest. AB positive is the best of the best, but as you saw, they are very happy to have an AB-negative donor like you.

Many repeated platelet donations can cause a small and temporary decrease in blood platelet counts. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration limits platelet donations to no more than 24 times in any 12 months. In a study of 471 repeat donors followed over two-and-a-half years, nobody developed an abnormally low platelet count while following the FDA regulations.

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