Blood Services

Do I qualify to give blood?

Note to users: This list is not complete. Specially trained technical staff are available at each blood collection center and details of each donor's health and activities are discussed in a confidential setting prior to blood donation. The majority of donor eligibility rules are specified by the Food and Drug Administration for every collection center in the country. Other rules are determined by the medical professionals at specific blood centers, or with other regulatory bodies. Therefore, these rules may differ between programs. Donor eligibility rules are intended to protect the health and safety of the donor as well as the patient who will receive the transfusion. The criteria listed below are provided as guidelines to assist you in determining whether you may be eligible to be a blood donor. The final determination of eligibility is made at the time of donation. The guidelines listed below were last revised on 5/08/08. There may have been some changes to these criteria since the last revision date. The most up to date eligibility information can be obtained by contacting the American Red Cross blood center nearest you.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law. You must weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated whole blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days) or double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days). "Healthy" means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, "healthy" also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control.

There is no upper age limit as long as you are well with no restrictions or limitations to your activities.

Other aspects of each potential donor's health history are discussed as part of the donation process before any blood is collected. Each donor receives a brief examination during which temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood count (hemoglobin or hematocrit) are measured.

Specific (This list is not complete. Details of each donor's health and activities are discussed prior to blood donation.)
 

Allergy, Stuffy Nose, Itchy Eyes, Dry Cough 
Accept as long as person feels well, no fever, and no problems breathing through mouth

• Anemia See "hemoglobin"

• Antibiotics
  Wait 2 days after taking antibiotics for an infection.
  Accept persons taking antibiotics to prevent an infection, for example, following dental procedures or for acne. Those with a temperature above 99F may not donate until the fever is passed.

• Asthma
  Accept if no difficult breathing at the time of donation.

• Blood Pressure, High
  Accept as long as blood pressure is below 180 systolic (first number) and below 100 diastolic (second number) at the time of donation. Medications for high blood pressure do not disqualify someone from donating.

• Blood Transfusion
  Wait for 12 months after receiving a blood transfusion in the United States.
  Person may not donate if transfused since 1980 in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man), Gibraltar or Falkland Islands.

• Cancer
  Accept if the cancer was treated with only surgery or radiation, and it has been at least 5 years since treatment was completed with no cancer recurrence.
  Those whose cancers were treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy, or who had leukemia or lymphoma, are not eligible to donate.
  Some low-risk cancers including  basal cell cancers of the skin do not require a 5 year waiting period.

• Cholesterol, high
  Accept persons with high cholesterol, with or without medications, and those on medications to lower their cholesterol level.

• Cold, Flu, Sore Throat
  Wait if you have a fever or a productive cough.
  Wait if you feel unwell on the day of donation.
  Wait 2 days after you have completed antibiotic treatment for sinus, throat or lung infection.

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
  Those who ever received a corneal (eye) transplant, a dura mater (brain covering) transplant or human pituitary growth hormone are not eligible to donate. Those who have a close blood relative who had Creutzfeld-Jacob disease or who is in a family that has been told they have a genetic risk for Creutzfeld-Jacob disease are not eligible to donate.

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD) - See under Travel.

• Dental Procedures
  Accept after teeth cleaning, scaling, root canal, fillings and tooth extractions if no infection is present.
  Wait for 3 days after oral surgery, or after treatment for an abscess or infection in the mouth.

• Diabetes
  Accept two weeks after starting or changing the dosage of insulin.
  Those who since 1980, received an injection of bovine (beef) insulin made from cattle from the United Kingdom are not eligible to donate.

• Donation Intervals
  Wait at least 8 weeks between whole blood (standard) donations.
  Wait at least 3 days between platelet pheresis donations.

• Epilepsy
  Accept if the person has been seizure-free for the last 3 months.
  Medications for seizures do not disqualify someone as a blood donor.

• HIV (the AIDS virus)
  Do not give blood to get an AIDS test. Please go to your own doctor or the local health department if you want to get tested. If you have any reason to believe you may carry HIV, do not donate blood. You could seriously harm a patient. Those who are at increased risk for becoming infected with HIV are not eligible to donate blood. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you are at increased risk if:

  • you are a male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once;

  • you have ever used a needle, even once, to take drugs or steroids that were not prescribed by a physician;

  • you have taken clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia;

  • you were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial, Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria since 1977;

  • you have taken drugs or money in exchange for sex since 1977;

  • you have ever had a positive test for HIV virus;

  • you have symptoms of HIV infection including unexplained weight loss, night sweats, blue or purple spots on or under the skin, long lasting white spots or unusual sores in your mouth, lumps in your neck, armpits, or groin that last more than a month, fever higher than 99 degrees that lasts more than 10 days, diarrhea lasting over a month, or persistent cough and shortness of breath;
     

  Wait for 12 months after close contact with someone at increased risk for HIV infection such as paying  or being paid to have sex, rape, sex with an IV drug user, or a needle stick exposure to someone else's blood.

• Heart Disease
  Accept persons with heart disease as long as they have no restrictions on their physical activities, take no medications for heart disease other than aspirin, and have no heart related symptoms such as chest pain.
  Accept persons with angina as long as they have no symptoms on the day of donation, have no restrictions on their activity and take no medications for heart disease other than aspirin.
  Wait at least 6 months following a heart attack.
  Wait at least 6 months after bypass surgery or angioplasty
  Accept persons with pacemakers as long as their pulse is between 50 and 100 per minute with a small number of irregular beats.

• Heart murmur, heart valve disorder
   Accept those with heart murmurs as long as they have no symptoms on the day of donation, no restrictions on their physical activity and are not taking any medications for heart disease other than antibiotics to prevent infections.

• Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Blood Count
  Each donor's hemoglobin is measured at the blood collection site before donation is allowed. The level required for blood donation is set by the Food and Drug Administration for all blood collections in the United States. It is common for donors, especially women, to have hemoglobin levels too low to donate. This is sometimes due to iron deficiency, but may also be normal for the person. If you are disqualified as a donor because of a low blood count, you may return and try again at any time.
  Accept those with a hemoglobin at or above 12.5 g/dL.
  Accept those with a hematocrit at or above 38%.

• Hepatitis or Jaundice
  Persons who have had hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) caused by a virus or unexplained jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin) since age 11 are not eligible to donate blood. Accept persons who had jaundice or hepatitis due to something other than a viral infection such as medications, Gilbert's disease, bile duct obstruction, alcohol, gallstones or trauma to the liver.
  Persons who have tested positive for hepatitis B or hepatitis C are not eligible to donate, even if they were never sick or jaundiced from the condition.

• Hepatitis Exposure
  Wait 12 months after close contact with someone who has hepatitis. (Close contact is defined as sexual contact or sharing the same household, kitchen, dormitory, or toilet facilities).
  Wait 12 months after detention in a correctional institution or residence in a long-term psychiatric institution.
  Wait 12 months after receiving a blood transfusion, blood injections, tattoo, non-sterile needle stick/body piercing or blood exposure to non-intact skin or a mucous membrane.
  Wait 12 months following human bite if it broke the skin.
  Wait 12 months after using intranasal cocaine or any other street drug.

• Immunization/Vaccination
  Accept those who were recently vaccinated for influenza or tetanus, providing donor is symptom free and fever free.
  Wait 4 weeks after immunizations for German Measles (Rubella), MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) and Chicken Pox (Varivax).
  Wait 2 weeks after immunizations for Red Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, Polio with the oral (mouth)  preparation, Small Pox and Yellow Fever vaccine.
  Wait 7 days after immunization for Hepatitis B.

• Infectious Mononucleosis
  Accept those with infectious mononucleosis ("mono") once the infections has passed, as long as the person did not have hepatitis.

• Intravenous Drug Use
  Those who have ever used IV drugs that were not prescribed by a physician are not eligible to donate.

• Lyme Disease
  Accept persons with Lyme disease if they were treated, the disease resolved and at least 1 year has passed.
  Those with chronic Lyme disease are not eligible to donate blood.

• Malaria
  Wait for 3 years after completing treatment for malaria.

• Medications
  In almost all cases, medications do not disqualify a person as a blood donor. The person's eligibility is based on the reason that the medication was prescribed. As long as the condition is under control and the person is healthy, blood donation is usually permitted. There are just a few selected drugs that are potentially toxic if given to a patient through transfusion; persons on these medications have waiting periods before donating:
  Wait 3 years from the last dose of Soriatane (acitretin).
  Wait 4 weeks after taking Accutane (isoretinoin) Proscar (finasteride), Propecia (finasteride),  methotrexate
  Persons who have ever taken Tegison (etretinate) are not eligible to donate blood.
  Wait 3 months after taking Arava (leflunomide).
  Wait 5 days after taking coumadin.
  Wait 36 hours after taking aspirin, Plavix (clopidogrel) or Ticlid (ticlopidine) if you are going to donate  plateletpheresis.

• Organ/Tissue Transplants
  Wait 12 months after receiving an organ or tissue transplant from another person. This includes bone and dental powder.

• Piercing (ears, body), Acupuncture
  Accept as long as the piercing instruments were sterile.
  Wait 12 months if there is any question whether or not the piercing instruments were sterile and free of blood contamination.

• Pregnancy
  Persons who are pregnant are not eligible to donate.
  Wait 6 weeks after delivering, miscarrying or terminating a pregnancy.
  Accept mothers who are nursing.

• Serious Illness
  Those who have had infections with chagas disease, babesiosis or leishmaniasis are not eligible to donate blood.
  Those with systemic lupus erythematosis, multiple sclerosis or systemic scleroderma are not eligible to donate blood.

• Sickle Cell
  Accept persons with sickle cell trait. Those with sickle cell disease are not eligible to donate.

• Skin Disease and Rash
  Accept persons with skin diseases as long as the skin over the vein to be used to collect blood is not  affected.

• Surgery
  Accept those who have had surgery recently as long as the wound is healed, stitches are dissolved or removed and the underlying condition is acceptable in a blood donor.
  Wait 48 hours after having stitches or staples for lacerations.

• Syphilis/Gonorrhea
  Wait 12 months after being treated for syphilis, gonorrhea or other venereal diseases.

• Tattoo
  Wait 12 months after a tattoo

• Travel Outside of U.S.
  Wait 12 months after travel into areas with a risk of malaria.
  Wait 3 years after immigrating from a country with malaria.
  Persons who have spent long periods of time in countries where mad cow disease is found are not  eligible to donate. You may not donate if you have stayed more than 3 months total in countries on list 1, or more than 6 months total in countries on list 2, since 1980.

List 1: England, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Northern Ireland, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar
List 2: All of the countries in Europe, Oman

You should not give blood if you have:

• had a tattoo within the last 12 months

• ever had Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or if any blood relative (parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or child) has or has had it, or been told that your family is at risk for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

• ever received a dura mater (or brain covering) transplant during head or brain surgery

• received an injection since 1980 of bovine (beef) insulin made from cattle in the United Kingdom

• had hepatitis on or after the age of 11

• had malaria in the past 3 years

• during 1980 though 1996 spent a total time that adds up to 6 months or more in the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands)

• been held in a correctional facility (including jail, prison, or detention center) for more than 72 straight hours in the last 12 months.

• had or been treated for syphilis or gonorrhea or tested positive for syphilis in the last 12 months.

• been raped in the last 12 months.

• taken (snorted) cocaine or any other street drug through your nose in the last 12 months.

• AIDS or one of its symptoms, including —

  • unexplained weight loss (10 pounds or more in less than 2 months)

  • night sweats

  • blue or purple spots on or under the skin

  • long lasting white spots or unusual sores in your mouth

  • lumps in your neck, armpits, or groin, lasting longer than one month

  • diarrhea lasting longer than one month

  • persistent cough and shortness of breath, or

  • fever higher than 99°F lasting more than 10 days

• done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV, the virus that cause AIDS. You are at risk for getting infected if you have:

• taken illegal or non-prescription drugs by needle, even once taken clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia

• tested positive for any AIDS virus

• been given money or drugs for sex, since 1977

• had a sexual partner who puts you at risk for AIDS infection. This means: you have had sex in the last 12 months with someone who is at risk for being infected with the AIDS virus (described above)

• if you are a male, had sex even once with another male since 1977; or within the last 12 months, given a female money or drugs to have sex with you, or if you are a female, within the last 12 months, given anyone money or drugs to have sex with you; or had a male sex partner who had sex with another male even once since 1977

• been born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria since 1977.

• since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries

You should tell the interviewer if you:

• aren't feeling well

• are running a fever

• have traveled to Cancun, Cozumel, or any other areas in Mexico, or taken a Caribbean cruise in the past 12 months.

You will be asked some follow-up questions to determine whether you can donate blood. Ineligible donors
We maintain a confidential list of people who may be at risk for spreading transfusion-transmitted diseases. When required, we report donor information, including test results, to health departments, military medical commands, and regulatory agencies. Donation information may also be used confidentially for medical studies.

If you decide not to give blood:

If at any time you decide that you should not give blood, you may walk away.

If you are temporarily deferred from giving blood, please don't give up! We hope you will return to donate blood once your deferral period is over.

For more detailed information go to:

http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,00.html

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