Eligibility for blood donation

Donating blood helps in saving the lives of people who need it. It is one of the biggest gift a person can give to someone and it costs nothing for the donor but for the receiver, it means the difference between life and death. There are various myths regarding blood donation but it is a completely safe process and carries no risk.

Therefore, the good health of the donors must be fully ensured for the safety of both donors and the recipient. So, there are some basic requirements that need to be fulfilled by a person to become a donor. Here is a list of several parameters which help in determining the eligibility criteria of donors before blood donation.

General conditions that affect eligibility

  • The donor must appear generally well and should have good mental and physical health before blood donation.

  • The people who are differently-abled or have communication and sight difficulties can also donate blood. They must be provided with clear communication to make them understand the donation process to get their valid consent. In case a person is hearing impairment they can be provided translator at the donation site.

  • A person between 18 to 65 years of age is eligible to donate blood. Although the first time shall not be above 60 years of age. For apheresis donation the donors must be between 18 to 60 years of age.

  • A person should have a minimum weight of 45 kg before blood donation. And for apheresis donation a person should weigh at least 50 kg.

DONATION INTERVAL FOR:

  1. WHOLE BLOOD DONATION: The males can donate whole blood once in every 3 months and for females they can donate whole blood once in every 4 months.

  2. APHERESIS DONATION: There should be at least 48 hours interval after a plasma or platelet apheresis. The donation period should not be more than 2 times a week and limited to 24 times in a year. 3. Red blood cell donation: Red blood cells can be donated once in 42 days.

  3. Red blood cell donation: Red blood cells can be donated once in 42 days

  4. PLASMA DONATION: Plasma can be donated once in 28 days that is up to 13 times a year.

  5. PLATELETS: Platelets can be donated once in every 7 days and upto 24 times a year.

The blood group of a person should be below 180 systolic and below 100 diastolic at the time of donation.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
A person with high blood pressure can either donate blood if a person is being regularly assessed but the treatment has not begun. Or should have been taking the same dose of medicines for 4 weeks or more and should be feeling fit and well. A person taking medications for high blood pressure does not disqualify from donating blood. Although the guidelines below must also be followed:

  • A person should not be under investigation of blood pressure.

  • A person should not have suffered heart failure.

  • A person should not be under investigation or treatment for renal (kidney) impairment

  • A person should not have amputation or blood vessel surgery

  • A person should have never had gangrene

  • A person should have no problems with faintness or dizziness.

LOW BLOOD PRESSURE

A person with at least 90 systolic and 50 diastolic blood pressure can donate blood.Low blood pressure does not become a problem as long as a person is in good health. If the donor is facing any problems of fainting or feeling dizzy they are not able to give blood. However if the blood pressure becomes really low it becomes difficult for a person to adjust the blood volume lost during blood donation.

  • A person should not have a pulse of less than 60 beats per minute and should not have more than 100 beats per minute.

  • The body temperature of a person should be normal and should not exceed 37.6° Celsius before blood donation.

  • A person who has the problem of breathless with excretion is not eligible to donate blood.

Low Normal Range High Normal Range Acceptable For Donating
Male 13.5g/dl 17.5g/dl 13.0g/dl
Female 12.0g/dl 15.5g/dl 12.5g/dl

A person should have normal regular meals before donating blood to maintain blood sugar level prior to blood donation and to avoid lightheadedness. The donors who feel hungry or thirsty before a blood donation can have a snack before giving blood. The donors who stay hydrated before blood donation are less likely to feel unwell afterwards. Also the donors should not have been fasting before blood donation and the last meal should have been at least 4 hours prior to blood donation.

A person should not have consumed alcohol before donating blood because it may lead to risk of fainting of donors. A donor should not consume alcohol after blood donation too as it can cause adverse reaction. Therefore alcohol must be avoided after donating blood. If a person has taken Antabuse (Disulfiram) within last 7 days then a person is unable to donate.

A person who smokes can donate blood but they should avoid smoking one hour before and after donation. Smoking after blood donation can lead to dizziness.

Donor who work as air crew member, long distance vehicle driver, either above sea level or below sea level or in emergency services or where strenuous work is required, will also not donate blood at least 24 hours prior to their next duty shift. The donor shall not be a night shift worker with inadequate sleep.

A person who has not traveled in the area which is in the epidemic for diseases that can be transmitted through blood transfusion is eligible for donating blood.

  • If a person is having cold or flu, they can donate blood after 7 days when they have recovered from the symptoms.

  • if a person has cold and have mild symptoms such as a runny nose but they don't have a fever, they are eligible to donate plasma.

  • If you recently had flu vaccination they can donate blood as flu vaccination does not affect blood donation.

  • If a person is having sore throat they can not donate blood. They must wait for 7 days from the last antibiotic and atleast 14 days after recovery.

A person can donate blood if:

  • their cut/wound/laceration/abrasion is completely healed with no signs of infection and it has not been exposed to someone else’s blood or body fluids

  • it is more than 7 days from the last antibiotics, and 14 days from full recovery whichever is the longer

  • it has been at least 4 weeks since receiving a tetanus injection

The donor should be free from any skin disease at the site of venesection. The arms and forearms of the donor should be free of skin punctures or scars.

A person is eligible to donate blood if they are not experiencing any symptoms on the day of donation and are not allergic to products used in blood donation.

The antihistamine medication does not prevent a donor from giving blood if it is successful in preventing allergy.

Donors who are undergoing desensitisation treatment for hay fever or for allergy to an insect sting can donate blood, if they are not experiencing any systemic or local reactions to the treatment, and are well on the day of donation. A person having Latex allergy or Nickel energy is eligible to donate blood. A person with history of anaphylaxis can not be prevented from donating blood as long as they are not exposed to anything that they are allergic to and are well on the day of donation.

A person is advised to leave 7 clear days from completing oral or injected steroids before donating blood.

Cholesterol - High : Hypercholesterolaemia

A person with high cholesterol can donate blood even if they are taking aspirin if they are not under any investigations and the cholesterol is controlled by diet or medication. A person should also not have any problem associated with heart diseases.

There is no maximum weight for donating blood. Factors that can play a role in donation eligibility include: Blood sugar, A1C readings, Blood pressure, medical history of conditions linked to obesity)

Pulse oximeter normal reading is typically between 95 and 100%. It is a measurement of how much oxygen your blood is carrying as a percentage of the maximum it could carry.