Donating Blood & Platelets: Medical Conditions Affecting Donation | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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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 212-639-7643 to determine your eligibility.

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	Permanent deferral
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	If donor had cardiac surgery or stent and angina is resolved, accept if one year after surgery, donor has resumed normal activities and has a letter of medical clearance. Defer if still symptomatic
Angioedema	Accept unless donor has a history of respiratory difficulty
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
Brucellosis	Defer 2 years after diagnosis provided treatment is completed
Buerger’s Disease	Permanent deferral
Bowen’s Disease	Accept
Bright’s Disease	Accept if no chronic renal disease
Bursitis	Accept
Cardiac Arrest	Accept one year later if donor has no limitations on activity and has a letter of medical clearance
Cardiomyopathy	Accept with a letter of medical clearance
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 21 days after exposure. Defer for active infection until 1 week after lesions resolved
Chikungunya	Defer until well and healthy
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
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 with letter of medical clearance
Conjunctivitis	Defer until resolved
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
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	Defer for 120 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	Permanent deferral
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 after one year if asymptomatic, has no limitations on activity and has a letter of medical clearance
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
Hereditary Spherocytosis	Permanent deferral
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	if at age 18 or younger with no residual effects-accept for donation ITP at age 19 or later-defer permanently
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

Medical Conditions	Eligibility
Kaposi’s Sarcoma	Permanent deferral
Kawasaki syndrome	Accept if well and no cardiac complications
Kidney disease	Permanent deferral for chronic renal failure
Kidney stones	Accept
Laparoscopy	Evaluate reason for procedure. Accept if healed and released from MD care
Laparotomy	Evaluate reason for procedure. Accept if healed and released from MD care
Legionnaire’s Disease	Accept when asymptomatic and treatment completed
Leshmaniasis	Permanent deferral
Leprosy	Permanent deferral
Leukoplakia	Accept
Lipomas	Accept if benign, if malignant one year after treatment completed
Lou Gehrig’s Disease	Permanent deferral
Lupus-Discoid or Systemic	Accept if asymptomatic
Lyme disease	Accept after treatment completed. If not treated, accept after 30 days
Marfan’s syndrome	Obtain MD approval
Mastitis	Defer if asymptomatic and treatment completed
Measles	Defer 3 weeks. For exposure, accept if the donor has been vaccinated, otherwise defer for 3 weeks from exposure
Meniere’s Disease	Accept
Meningitis	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
MGUS	Permanent deferral
Mitral valve prolapse	Accept of no limitations on activity otherwise needs a letter of medical clearance
Mononucleosis	Defer until symptom free
Multiple Sclerosis	Accept if symptoms stable over the past 2 months
Muscular Dystrophy	Accept
Myasthenia Gravis	Accept if asymptomatic
Mycosis Fungoides	Permanent deferral
Myocardial infarction	Accept after one year if asymptomatic, has no limitations on activity and has letter of medical clearance
Nephritis	Accept if resolved and kidney function is normal. Permanent deferral for chronic renal disease
Neurofibromatosis	Accept if in good health with no lesions in antecubital area
Osgood-Schlatter Disease	Accept
Osteomyelitis	Defer for 2 years after resolved and treatment completed
Osteoporosis	Accept
Otitis Media	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Pacemaker	Accept with a letter of medical clearance
Paget’s Disease of bone	Accept
Paget’s disease of breast	Accept one year after treatment completed
Pancreatitis	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Parkinson’s	Accept
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria	Permanent deferral
Parvovirus	Defer until afebrile and asymptomatic. Exposure requires 21 day deferral.
Pelvic inflammatory disease	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Pemphigoid/Pemphigus Vulgaris	Accept if venipuncture site is clear
Pericarditis	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Phlebitis	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Pilonidal Cyst	Accept if no chronic fever and not on antibiotics
Pityriasis	Accept if lesions not in antecubital area
Pleurisy	Accept after resolved
Pneumonia	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Pneumothorax	Accept if resolved and asymptomatic
Poliomyelitis	Accept unless there is active infection
Polycystic kidney disease	Accept if renal function normal
Polycystic ovary syndrome	Accept
Polycythemia	Permanent deferral
Polymyositis	Accept if asymptomatic
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda	Permanent deferral
Pott’s Disease	Defer if active disease
Progressive systemic sclerosis	Accept if asymptomatic
Prostatitis	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Psoriasis	Accept if no secondary infection and antecubital area is clear
Pulmonary embolism	Accept if resolved and at least one month after completion of anticoagulant therapy
Pyelonephritis	Permanent deferral if chronic kidney disease
Q fever	Accept 2 years after confirmed cured
Raynaud’s disease	Accept
Reiter’s Syndrome	Accept if asymptomatic and not on medication for maintenance
Reticuloendotheliosis	Permanent deferral
Rheumatic fever	2 years following cessation of symptoms, unless evidence of chronic heart disease
Reye’s Syndrome	Accept if resolved and liver function normal
Ringworm	Accept if not in antecubital area and area is covered by clothing or dressing
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever	Defer 1 week after treatment completed
Rosacea	Accept unless secondary infection
Roseola	Defer for 2 weeks after resolved
Rubella	Defer 1 month
Sarcoidosis	Accept
SARS	Defer for 28 days after symptoms are resolved. If a donor has had close contact with someone with SARS, defer for 14 days after exposure
Scabies	Defer until resolved
Scarlet Fever	Accept if well and asymptomatic, defer for 2 days if exposed to disease
Scleroderma	Accept if asymptomatic
Sepsis	Defer 1 week after resolved and treatment completed
Shigella	Defer for 3 days after last episode of diarrhea
Shingles	Defer 1 week after active lesions
Sickle cell disease	Permanent deferral
Sjogren’s Syndrome	Accept if asymptomatic
Spherocytosis	Permanent deferral
Stein Leventhal syndrome	Accept
Stitches	Defer until removed and wound healed
Stroke	Defer for one year and if off anticoagulant therapy for one month
Syphilis	Defer one year after treatment completed
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus	Accept if asymptomatic
Thalassemia Major	Permanent deferral
Thalassemia trait	Accept
Thrombophilia	Permanent deferral
TIA	Defer 6 months
Tick bite	If asymptomatic, defer for 2 weeks. Defer for 3 months if febrile or symptomatic. If diagnosed, see specific diagnosis
Toxoplasmosis	Defer 6 months after treatment is complete
Transverse Myelitis	Permanent deferral
Trichomonias	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Trypanosomiasis	Permanent deferral
Tuberculosis	Defer 2 years after treatment completed. Accept if donor had positive skin test and negative chest x-ray
Typhoid Fever	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Ulcer	Accept
Urinary tract infection	Accept after resolved and treatment completed
Venereal warts	Accept
Von Recklinghausen’s disease	Accept if donor is in good health and has no lesions in antecubital area
Von Willebrand disease	Accept if no episodes of major bleeding and never required treatment
West Nile Virus	Defer for 120 days after diagnosis or onset of illness, whichever is the longest time period
Wilson’s Disease	Accept if not jaundiced
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome	Accept if asymptomatic and has no history of other cardiac problems and has a letter of medical clearance
Xenotransplantation	Permanent deferral
Yeast infection (vaginal)	Accept
Zika	If diagnosed with Zika infection, defer for 4 weeks after symptoms resolve. Donors who describe two or more symptoms suggestive of Zika occurring within 2 weeks of departure from an area at risk for Zika are deferred for 4 weeks after symptoms resolved Defer for 4 weeks after sex with a man who has traveled to a Zika risk area in the past 3 months