Eligibility Criteria for Blood Donation

Introduction

A blood donation happens when a person voluntarily allows blood to be drawn for donation purposes. Blood donations can be of whole blood or a few specific components. A blood bank is often responsible for collecting blood and participating in the procedures following it.

Blood donors are needed, in particular, to consent to this process and meet basic criteria such as weight, age, and hemoglobin levels. This eligibility criterion means minors cannot donate their blood without their parent’s or guardians’ permission. If a potential blood donor does not meet these eligibility criteria, they are not considered for donation. Blood banks in the United States are usually required to label the blood since they do not accept donations from therapeutic donors having any blood disease.

The race and ethnic background of the donor is sometimes crucial since certain rare blood types are more common in specific ethnic groups. However, this is no longer standard practice.

What Are the Eligibility Criteria for Blood Donation?

According to the World Health Organization guidelines, the following are the eligibility criteria for donating blood:

• Physical Well-being- The donor must be in good health, mentally stable, and physically strong and fit.

• Age Limit- Individuals between the age group of 18 years to a maximum age limit of 65 years are considered eligible for blood donation.For apheresis donation, the age limit is between 18 to 60 years. Apheresis donation occurs when only one of the blood components is donated through cell separation, for example, plasma or platelet donation, etc.

• Collected Blood Volume and Donor’s Weight- The eligibility criteria are350 milliliters for 45 kilograms and 450 milliliters for more than 55 kilograms in blood donation cases. For an apheresis donor, a minimum of 50 kilograms is needed.

• Blood Donation Interval- Once every three months for males and once every four months for females is required in case of whole blood donation. In the case of apheresis donation, a maximum of 24 donations can be made in a year, with two donations in a week.

• Blood Pressure- 100 to 140 millimeters of mercury systolic and 60 to 90 millimeters of mercury diastolic with or without medicines is required for an eligible blood donor.

• Pulse Rate- The donor should have a regular pulse rate between 60 to 100 beats per minute.

• Temperature- The person donating the blood should have a temperature of approximately 37 degrees Celsius.

• Hemoglobin- The hemoglobin of the donor should be in the range of 12.5 grams per deciliter to 18 grams per deciliter.

• Risk Behavior- Blood donors must be free from any transmissible blood diseases.

What Are Other Important Points to Be Considered for Blood Donation?

• Donors who are donating blood for the first time cannot be over 60 years of age.

• After whole blood donation, apheresis donation cannot be done before 28 days.

• Donation should not be done for 12 months post-bone marrow harvest (a procedure of collecting stem cells with a needle inserted into the bone marrow). After a peripheral stem cell harvest (a procedure to harvest some of the blood stem cells), the donation is not accepted for six months.

• Clinical findings suggestive of end-organ failure or secondary complications such as heart, kidneys, eyes, or vascular complications should be excluded.

• A person with a history of fainting during the physical examination is not accepted for donation.

• If a person is taking medicines for blood pressure, the medicine or the dosage should not be altered in the last 28 days.

• The donor should be free from acute pulmonary disorders.

• People drinking heavy alcohol regularly cannot be donors.

• Aircraft members, vehicle drivers for long distances, merchant navy officers, and emergency service providers, cannot donate blood for a minimum of 24 hours before their next duty shift.

• Night shift workers without proper sleep cannot be a donor.

• A person who is considered at a risk for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, hepatitis B, or C infections is excluded for donation purposes.

• A person with a history of travel or residence from an endemic transmissible blood disease area should not be allowed for blood donation.

• The donor should be free from any dermatological diseases at the site of phlebotomy vein puncture.

• Until all minor prodromal symptoms like general malaise, pain, and headache are subsided, blood donation is deferred.

Who Cannot Donate Blood?

People who have frequent asthmatic attacks, asthmatics who are on corticosteroids, patients who have undergone open heart surgery including bypass surgery, tumor surgery, patients who complain of chest pain, breathlessness, swollen feet, heart attack, people who are on medications like Nitroglycerine, patients suffering from various heart diseases, epilepsy and convulsions, schizophrenia, insulin dependent diabetes, patients having complications of diabetes with multi organ involvement, graves disease, history of malignant thyroid tumors, hyper or hypo hypothyroidism patients, endocrine disorders, hepatitis B, C or unknown hepatitis, chronic liver disorders or liver failure, HIV positive person, lymphadenopathy, repeated episodes of fever, prolonged diarrhea, syphilis, gonorrhea, leprosy, chronic kidney diseases, stomach ulcer or patients with recurrent bleeding, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, severe rheumatoid arthritis, bleeding disorders, cancer, severe allergic reactions, and recipients of organ, stem cell and tissue transplants. Blood donation is postponed for a period of six months in case of minor surgery, tooth extraction, dental surgery under anesthesia, and dengue following recovery.

What Are the Accepted Medications for Donors?

Oral contraceptive pills, painkillers, multivitamins, mild sedatives, and allopurinol (a cholesterol-lowering medication) are accepted medications for donors.

What Are Special Considerations for Women Donors?

Blood donation has to be deferred in women -

• 12 months after the child’s delivery.

• Six months post-abortion.

• During the lactation period.

• Menstruation period.

Conclusion

There is a raised awareness in recent times regarding the need for blood donation. However, the information is not available properly. Many potential donors are not aware or misinformed. The correct information regarding the eligibility criteria can make these donors a major source of the healthcare system. So, one should definitely do his or her bit and donate blood if he or she is a potential donor and save lives.