There are certain medical conditions, illnesses, and diseases that may delay your donation or make you ineligible to donate. Even a bee sting or bite from a pet can delay your donation. If you have any questions after reviewing the information below, please call the Blood Donor Room at 212-639-7643.
Medical Conditions (A-J)
Go to K-Z
| Medical Conditions | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Addison’s Disease | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Adrenal Disorder | You may NOT donate blood. |
| AIDS (HIV) or HTLV | You may donate if you…
- have had casual contact with a person who has AIDS, or you are a caregiver of AIDS patients and you use appropriate precautions, or more 1 year has passed since your last sexual contact with a person who has AIDS. You may NOT donate if you… - have ever tested positive for HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or the HTLV virus . - have HIV or AIDS. |
| ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) | You may NOT donate. |
| Animal Bites | If you were bitten by a domestic pet, you may donate after the bite has healed. If you were bitten by any other animal, you must wait two months after the wound has healed. If a Rabies vaccine was needed, you must wait one year to donate. |
| Aortic Stenosis | You may donate if…
-the heart defect has been corrected, and more than one year has passed since the defect was corrected by surgery, and you have no symptoms of the defect, and you have no limitations on your activity. You will need written approval from your physician dated within six months of the donation date specifying whether you may donate blood or platelets. |
| Arrhythmia | You may donate if you have written approval from your physician dated within six months of the donation date specifying whether you may donate blood or platelets. |
| Asthma | You may donate if you have no difficulty breathing at the time of the donation. |
| Basal Cell Carcinoma | You may donate if the condition has been completely excised and healed. |
| Bee Sting | You must wait one day after a bee sting to donate. |
| Berger’s Disease | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Breast Feeding | You may donate blood. You may NOT donate platelets. |
| Cancer (General) |
You may donate if your cancer has been in remission and you have not received any treatment for at least two years. You may NOT donate if you have had: malignant melanoma, leukemia, or Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. |
| Carcinoma-in-situ | You may donate if you have this condition in the cervix or breast and have completed therapy. |
| Cardiomyopathy | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Chicken Pox | You may donate if you have been exposed to Chicken Pox, but only if you have already had it, or been vaccinated against it. Otherwise you must wait 3 weeks from the time of exposure. |
| Chronic Bronchitis | You may donate if you have no symptoms. |
| Chronic Granulomatosis | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Chronic Kidney Diseases | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Cirrhosis | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Colds | See Respiratory Infection. |
| Coccidiomycosis, if disseminated or extrapulmonary | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Crohn’s Disease |
You may donate if you have no symptoms even if you are taking medication. |
| Ehlers Danos Syndrome | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Emphysema | You may donate if you have no symptoms. |
| Endocarditis | You may donate if it has been at least 48 hours after treatment and the condition is resolved. |
| Epilepsy | You may donate if it has been at least 30 days since your last seizure and the condition is under control. |
| Fifth’s Disease | You may donate if you have been exposed to Fifth’s Disease, but only if you have already had it or been vaccinated against it. Otherwise you must wait three weeks from the time of exposure. |
| Flu | You may donate if you were exposed to someone with the flu but you have no symptoms. |
| Food Poisoning | You must wait 72 hours after the symptoms stop before donating. |
| German Measles | You may donate if you have been exposed to German Measles but only if you have already had it or been vaccinated against it. Otherwise you must wait three weeks from the time of exposure. |
| Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) |
You may donate if you have no heart problems one year afterward and you have written approval from your physician dated within 6 months of the donation date specifying whether you may donate blood or platelets. |
| Heart Murmur | You may donate if you have no symptoms and you have no activity limitations, not on any cardiac medication or you have written approval from your physician dated within 6 months of the donation date specifying whether you may donate blood or platelets. |
| Hemachromatosis | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Hemophilia or related clotting disorder | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Hereditary Spherocytosis | You may NOT donate blood. |
| Histoplasmosis | You may donate if your x-ray shows inactive disease. |
| HIV | You may not NOT donate blood. |
| Hodgkin’s Disease | You may not NOT donate blood. |
| Immune (or Idiopathic) Thrombocytopenic Purpura(ITP) | You may donate if you had a history of ITP as a child with no residual effects. |
| Jaundice/Hepatitis |
You may donate if you had a history of unexplained jaundice from birth to age 11. Or you have: -Erythroblastosis (Hemolytic Disease of the newborn, Rh disease) You may NOT donate if you… -had Viral Hepatitis or unexplained Jaundice at age 11 or older. |
