Certain medications may delay your ability to donate blood. If you are taking any medication, even if it is not listed here, please call the Blood Donor Room at 212-639-8177 to determine your eligibility.
- Medical Conditions (A-J)
- Medical Conditions (K-Z)
| Medical Conditions | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Abscesses | Accept after resolved and treatment completed |
| Acoustic Neuroma | Accept if benign, if malignant accept one year after treatment completed |
| Actinomycosis | Acceptable after condition resolved and treatment completed |
| Acute Tubular Necrosis | Accept if recovered and renal function normal |
| Addison’s Disease | Acceptable |
| Adenoma | Accept if benign, if malignant defer one year after treatment completed |
| Agammaglobulinemia | Permanent deferral |
| Alpha-1-Antitrypsin | Accept if asymptomatic and not taking replacement therapy |
| ALS | Permanent deferral |
| Anaphylactoid Purpura | Accept if recovered and asymptomatic |
| Anaplasmosis | Accept if treatment completed & feeling well. Defer for 90 days if untreated |
| Aneurysms | Aortic or cerebral, if surgically corrected and asymptomatic, defer for 6 months from date of surgery. If not surgically corrected, a letter of medical clearance is needed |
| Angina | Acceptable 3 months after last symptom with a letter of medical clearance from physician |
| Angioedema | Defer if cause is genetic. Accept if stable and symptom free |
| Angioplasty | Accept 6 months after procedure if donor is asymptomatic, has no limitations on activity and has a letter of medical clearance |
| Animal bites | Domestic pets- accept if wound is healed |
| Animal needle stick | Defer for one year if exposed to any animal’s blood through a needle stick |
| Ankylosing Spondylitis | Accept |
| Anthrax | Defer until full course of treatment is completed |
| Antiphospholipid Antibody syndrome | Accept if symptom free |
| Aortic Stenosis | Accept 6 months after surgical repair if donor is asymptomatic and has no limitations on activity |
| Arrhythmias | A donor with a history of arrhythmia can be accepted if asymptomatic, has no history of other cardiac problems and has a letter of medical clearance |
| Arteriovenous (AV) Malformation | Accept if surgically corrected and asymptomatic for 6 months from date of surgery. If not surgically corrected, a medical clearance is needed |
| Arthritis | Accept (both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis) |
| Asbestosis | If causing permanent lung disease-permanent deferral, otherwise accept |
| Asthma | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Atrial Fibrillation | Accept if asymptomatic, has no history of other cardiac problems and has a letter of medical clearance |
| BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) | Defer for 2 weeks after treatment with BCG |
| Bee stings | One day deferral |
| Bell’s Palsy | Accept |
| Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) | Accept |
| Bladder polyps | Accept if benign. Defer 2 weeks after treatment with BCG |
| Bone marrow donor | Defer for 8 weeks from marrow harvest |
| Bowen’s Disease | Accept |
| Bright’s Disease | Accept if no chronic renal disease |
| Brucellosis | Accept if treatment completed and feeling well. If untreated, defer 90 days |
| Buerger’s Disease | Permanent deferral |
| Bursitis | Accept |
| Cancer | Defer 5 years after completion of treatment, with no recurrence for any history of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma or Hodgkin’s Disease No deferral period for localized skin cancer (basal or squamous cell and melanoma in-situ) if completely excised and healed Defer one year after treatment is completed for other cancers in remission Acceptable after completion of treatment for papillary thyroid carcinoma |
| Carcinoma-in-situ of the vulva, cervix or breast | Acceptable after completion of treatment |
| Cardiac Ablation | Acceptable after 6 months, if asymptomatic with letter of medical clearance from physician |
| Cardiac Arrest | Accept 6 months with a letter of medical clearance from physician |
| Cardiomyopathy | Accept 6 months from last symptom with a letter of medical clearance from physician |
| Carotid Bruit | Permanent deferral |
| Carpal Tunnel Syndrome | Accept |
| Casts | Accept if a simple fracture. If surgery, defer until cast removed and healed |
| Cat-Scratch Disease | Accept after resolved and treatment completed |
| Cerebral Palsy | Accept |
| Cervical dysplasia | Accept |
| Chest pain | Defer unless evaluated by MD and not due to heart disease |
| Chicken Pox | If not previously immunized or infected, defer 4 weeks after exposure. Defer 4 weeks from active infection |
| Chikungunya | Accept one month after recovery |
| Chlamydia | Accept |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | If diagnosed by a MD-permanent deferral |
| Chronic Granulomatosis | Permanent deferral |
| Cirrhosis | Permanent deferral |
| Coagualtion Factor Deficiencies | Permanent deferral except for Factor XII (12) deficiency |
| Coccidiomycosis | Permanent deferral if disseminated or extrapulmonary. If pulmonary, defer 1 year after diagnosis provided treatment is complete |
| Cold sore | Accept if dry and healing |
| Colds | Defer for active symptoms of a cold, flu or upper respiratory infection and for 3 days after symptoms have subsided |
| Colitis | Defer for 3 days after last episode of diarrhea |
| Collagen Vascular Diseases | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Congenital heart disease | Accept if asymptomatic with no limitation of activity. If surgically corrected, accept after 6 months if asymptomatic with no limitation of activity |
| Congestive heart failure | Accept 6 months from last symptom resolved with a letter of medical clearance from physician |
| Conjunctivitis | Defer until resolved |
| Contrast for medical imaging | Defer for 48 hours |
| Convulsions | Accept if no seizure in the past month |
| COPD | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Coronary artery bypass surgery | Accept 6 months after surgery if donor is asymptomatic with no limitation on activity and has a letter of medical clearance. If due to a heart attack, accept one year later if asymptomatic with no limit on activity and with a letter of medical clearance |
| Costochondritis | Accept |
| Covid 19 | Defer 14 days from positive test and/or and resolution of symptoms |
| Coxsackie Virus | Accept if recovered and no jaundice occurred |
| Crest Syndrome | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Crohn’s disease | Accept if asymptomatic and no diarrhea for 3 days |
| Cryptococcosis | Accept if asymptomatic. Permanent deferral if extrapulmonary |
| Cryptosporidiosis | Accept if asymptomatic and off treatment |
| Cushing Syndrome | Accept if cured |
| Cystic Fibrosis | Accept if no current respiratory infection |
| Cystitis | Accept after resolved and treatment completed |
| Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) | Accept if resolved and at least one month after completion of anticoagulant therapy |
| Dengue Fever | Acceptable 28 days after resolution of symptoms |
| Dermatomyositis | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Diabetes Mellitus | Accept- if on insulin must be stable and have eaten before donation |
| Diabetes Insipidus | Accept |
| Dialysis | Permanent deferral |
| Diarrhea | Defer for 3 days |
| Diverticular Disease | Accept if symptom free for 3 days |
| Ebola | Defer 28 days after contact with an infected person. Defer one year after having Ebola virus disease |
| Ehlers Danlos Syndrome | Acceptable |
| Ehrlichiosis | Accept if asymptomatic and treatment completed |
| Embolism | Pulmonary embolism: accept if resolved and at least one month after completion of anticoagulant treatment. Brain embolism: accept if one year after the stroke, and donor is stable without deficits and anticoagulant therapy completed for at least one month Limb embolism: Accept if resolved and at least one month since completion of anticoagulant therapy |
| Emphysema | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Encephalitis | Accept 4 weeks after recovery |
| Endocarditis | Accept if condition resolved and treatment completed |
| Endometriosis | Accept |
| Epstein Barr | Accept if recovered |
| Erythema nodosum | Accept if recovered and asymptomatic |
| Esophagitis | Accept if asymptomatic and no underlying disease |
| Factor V Leiden | RBC only, if off anticoagulant therapy for at least one month. No plasma or platelets |
| Factor XI deficiency | Permanent deferral |
| Factor XII deficiency | Accept |
| Fibromyalgia | Accept |
| Fibromyositis | Accept |
| Fifth Disease | Defer 21 days after exposure |
| Food Poisoning | Defer for 72 hours after symptoms stop |
| G6PD deficiency | Accept for platelets. Defer for blood |
| Genital herpes | Accept |
| Genital warts | Accept |
| Giardiasis | Accept after resolved and treatment completed |
| Gilbert’s Disease | Accept |
| Glomerulonephritis | Permanent deferral if chronic renal disease |
| Gout | Accept |
| Granuloma Annulare | Accept as long as antecubital area not involved |
| Granuloma Inguinale | Accept after treatment completed and lesions healed |
| Grave’s Disease | Accept once donor has normal thyroid function |
| Grover’s disease | Accept if antecubital area is not involved |
| Guillain-Barre | Accept if resolved and asymptomatic |
| Hashimoto’s disease | Accept |
| Heart attack | Accept 6 months with a letter of medical clearance from physician |
| Heart murmur | Accept if asymptomatic and has no activity limitations |
| Hemachromatosis | Permanent deferral |
| Hematuria | Defer until evaluated by MD |
| Hemophilia | Permanent deferral |
| Henoch-Schonlein Purpura | Defer until disease inactive. Permanent deferral if renal failure present |
| Hepatitis A | Defer for 120 days after diagnosis |
| Hereditary Spherocytosis | Defer for blood donation. Accept for platelets and plasma |
| Hirschsprung’s Disease | Accept if resolved and asymptomatic |
| Histoplasmosis | Accept if inactive disease, defer if disease is active |
| Human bite | Defer one year if skin was broken |
| Huntington’s Disease | Accept |
| Hyper or hypoparathyroidism | Accept if asymptomatic |
| Hypoglycemia | Accept |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | Defer for 3 days after last episode of diarrhea |
| Isosporiasis | Permanent deferral if chronic intestinal infection |
| ITP | Acceptable if completely recovered |
| Jaundice | Permanent deferral if cause is unknown or associated with hepatitis B or C. Accept if jaundice as a newborn, secondary to gallstones or mono, Gilbert’s disease or drug sensitivity |