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 (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 |
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 |