Donor medical history should be screened via a questionnaire and confidential interview by trained staff
The purpose of this is to identify donors whose donation could pose a health risk to recipients
Criteria for deferral (unless a qualified professional deems the donation safe for both the donor and potential recipients):
Donors undergoing medical investigations
Donors who have been referred for a specialist opinion
Donors who are on a hospital waiting list
Donors taking part in a clinical trial
Pregnant patients
Positive for HIV/HBV/HCV/HTLV/syphilis, or sexual partners positive for any of these
Any history of intravenous drug use, or sexual partners with a history of IVDU
Sex workers active in the last three months
Males who have had oral or anal sex with another male in the last three months
Females who have had sex with a man who has ever had oral or anal sex with another man
Anyone who has had a tattoo, piercing or semi-permanent make-up within four months
For autologous donations, deferral criteria are:
Serious cardiac disease
Active bacterial infection
For patients with genetic haemochromatosis, donation may take place if all donor requirements are fulfilled and there is provision for alternative venesection if, for whatever reason, the patient is deferred from donation. In addition, the patient must:
Have normal iron indices
Be in the maintenance phase of treatment
Have annual checks of serum ferritin and Tsat
Deferral for patients on medication is usually related to the underlying disease rather that the properties of the drug itself. Most medications are hence not reasons for donation – provided the condition for which they were prescribed is acceptable. Exceptions are:
Antimicrobials: defer for 2 weeks from recovery, and 1 week after cessation of antimicrobial (whichever is longer).
Any potential teratogen (e.g. vitamin A derivatives)
Any drug which accumulates in tissue over long periods
Recent immunisations: refer to donor selection guidelines
Antiplatelets: if used within the last 2-5 days, the donation should not be used for making platelets
Travel history may affect donor eligibility:
Endemic areas for tropical viruses (dengue / zika / chikungunya): defer for 4 weeks.
Malaria area: defer for one year.
If four-months post-return and a malaria antibody test is negative, the donor can resume regular donations earlier than one year.
Rules are different if a person has emmigrated from a region where malaria is endemic.
Further testing / deferral may be necessary if there has been travel to areas where Trypanosoma cruzi (Central and South America) or West Nile virus (Africa, Western Asia, Europe, Australia, USA and Canada) are endemic.
Meaures to reduced the risk of prion disease transmission include deferral of anyone who has:
Received human pituitary-derived hormones
Received grafts of human dura mater, cornea, sclera or other ocular tissue
Been identified as a member of a family at risk of prior diseases
Received an allogeneic tissue or blood transfusion since 1 January 1980
Previously been told that they are at increased risk of prion diseases because of prior surgery / treatment / transfusion or transplantation
Previously been told that they are at increased risk because a recipient of their blood has developed a prion-related disorder
Leave A Comment