Can someone with Crohn's Disease donate blood?

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David

David

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As I was reading the blood type poll, I got to wondering. Are people with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis allowed to donate blood? Have any of you been turned away?
 
I have never donated blood - between the years I was anemic, and the medications I have been on over the years it was a no-brainer.

I think with Remicade you aren't supposed to anyway.....but don't quote me!
 
I was told it was a no-go in Canada. Wanted to donate after 9/11, but was told I couldn't. That's without any medication at all...
 
This is from the Crohn's and Colitis Association in Australia...

Australian Red Cross Blood Service does accept donors with IBD to donate provided they are well and off immunosuppressive medication for a minimum of 4 weeks. The Australian Red Cross Blood service is only able to use the plasma component of the donation for transfusion purposes. Donors presenting to donate are in most circumstances referred to the duty Medical Officer, in order to assess whether they are suitable.
Click to expand...

Dusty. :)
 
In Canada you are not allowed to donate if you have Crohns. As soon as I found out I called as I was a regular donor and was told I could no longer do it. It is to do with my health, not the blood as far as I know.
 
We have a Plasma centre for the red cross but they said no, because of blood issues and even if you are not a bleeder, a no no... too bad.
 
Very interesting question Dave..
Will find out what the story is here in Ireland.
I have not been able to give blood as I was living in England throughout the 80's and it coincided with the mad cow disease. In Ireland you can not give blood if you lived in England in this period as a precaution!!
 
Del said:
I have not been able to give blood as I was living in England throughout the 80's and it coincided with the mad cow disease. In Ireland you can not give blood if you lived in England in this period as a precaution!!
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Hahah, that's why I'm not allowed to give blood here in the states. I might have Mad Cow due to all the time I spent in England during the 80's. Joke's on them though as I just got Mad Guts.
 
They don't let me anyway because I'm too small. I don't know their policy on having Crohn's but I'd suspect they wouldn't allow it either way because of the things that come with it like the fact that I'm anemic, iron & b12 deficient, and am on immuno-suppressants.
 
You can't in the UK. Looked on their website once and it did say no if you have crohns
 
This is what it says on the New Zealand Red Cross page for Crohns Disease....
Crohn’s Disease – I have crohn’s disease. Can I donate?

It will not be possible for you to give blood donations if you have Crohn’s Disease or have had this condition diagnosed in the past. The cause of this condition is not yet certain and giving blood may adversely affect your health.

And for UC......
Ulcerative colitis – I have ulcerative colitis. Can I donate?

You will not be able to donate blood if you have ulcerative colitis.


http://www.nzblood.co.nz/Give-blood/Donating/Detailed-eligibility-criteria
 
Big No-no for Greece too. You are not allowed to donate blood if you have Crohns. It doesnt matter if you dont take ANY drugs. Just the dx is enough
 
I know this is an olllld thread, but today my sis wanted to give blood as it's on her 30 before 30 list. She was super nervous (hates needles). To put her at ease I said I'll give blood with you.

Now, I haven't been on meds for almost three years now (cos of all the adverse side effects they caused me - drug induced lupus, drug induced hepatitis etc) and luckily, touch wood, apart from the unexplained exhaustion/limited energy I get, have been generally well. I vaguely remembered something about not giving blood, but thought it was from when I was on infliximab.

Anyhow, I filled in the form they gave me, and on it there was a section about having any of the following diseases: HIV, aids, hepatitis (I think epilepsy), crohns disease, ulcerative colitis and some others. I checked with the first nurse and she said wait for the other nurse who goes through your form. About 20 ish mins later the other nurse calls me, we get to this part and he was like hold on I'll just get the other nurse. She comes along, takes an age to log back into the computer, asks me to confirm my D.O.B etc and then sees the q and asks me what it is, I say Crohns disease, she says ah no sorry you can't give blood cos of risk of infection, then quickly, if you could just sign this form (which she goes and prints out). When signing I ask, so, is it risk of infection to me or to others? She says to others, and carries on typing, then says I can go wait for my sister over at the tea/biscuit table.

Even though I had a feeling I might not be able to give blood, I wasn't prepared for that sinking feeling I got walking over to the tea table. I felt all exposed as if I was doing a walk of shame, kinda just 'other' if that makes sense haha!

I mean, I get it, I would rather not potentially cause somebody else to have Crohns, but I didn't think Crohn's was an infection, or either that my blood could infect somebody else. What is the latest explaination of our diseases?
 
Aww i hate that you were made to feel like that. They could of been nicer and more discreet.! I can imagine you felt quite deflated after that but well done on trying to give blood!
 
I looked into this recently because I wondered if I could whilst on Aza. Turns out I can't because of a. Aza, b. Crohns and c. Because I had a transfusion before my surgery due to being anaemic.

I feel guilty for never having given blood and I feel like I owe the system at least the two units I received.

Of course in the nearly 20 years I was misdiagnosed as IBS I could have given blood any time. Crohns being infectious is surely nonsense.
 
I was on the Canadian donor list for bone marrow. About a year after being diagnosed with Crohns I received a very nice letter from them, informing me they had to remove my name from their donor list. I just assumed, it would be the same for donating blood so haven't been since then. The drugs are too toxic anyway. I didn't inform them of my diagnosis, so I can only assume my doctor reported it to them?
 
I can't in the UK. I was already suspended as I had to tell them about having an endoscopy and then when they called me again to book in I told them about the Crohn's and they said it's a blanket no, even if you're off all meds. It's just a safeguarding thing, a welfare concern for you and the recipient they said. I was severely anaemic anyway so I wouldn't have booked in until that improved.

It was the same when I tried to register for the Anthony Nolan trust to donate bone marrow. It's a shame that those of us who've not enjoyed the best of health and appreciate the help we've received are the most likely to try and help and least likely to be accepted :(
 
Soybean said:
I know this is an olllld thread, but today my sis wanted to give blood as it's on her 30 before 30 list. She was super nervous (hates needles). To put her at ease I said I'll give blood with you.



Now, I haven't been on meds for almost three years now (cos of all the adverse side effects they caused me - drug induced lupus, drug induced hepatitis etc) and luckily, touch wood, apart from the unexplained exhaustion/limited energy I get, have been generally well. I vaguely remembered something about not giving blood, but thought it was from when I was on infliximab.



Anyhow, I filled in the form they gave me, and on it there was a section about having any of the following diseases: HIV, aids, hepatitis (I think epilepsy), crohns disease, ulcerative colitis and some others. I checked with the first nurse and she said wait for the other nurse who goes through your form. About 20 ish mins later the other nurse calls me, we get to this part and he was like hold on I'll just get the other nurse. She comes along, takes an age to log back into the computer, asks me to confirm my D.O.B etc and then sees the q and asks me what it is, I say Crohns disease, she says ah no sorry you can't give blood cos of risk of infection, then quickly, if you could just sign this form (which she goes and prints out). When signing I ask, so, is it risk of infection to me or to others? She says to others, and carries on typing, then says I can go wait for my sister over at the tea/biscuit table.



Even though I had a feeling I might not be able to give blood, I wasn't prepared for that sinking feeling I got walking over to the tea table. I felt all exposed as if I was doing a walk of shame, kinda just 'other' if that makes sense haha!



I mean, I get it, I would rather not potentially cause somebody else to have Crohns, but I didn't think Crohn's was an infection, or either that my blood could infect somebody else. What is the latest explaination of our diseases?
Click to expand...



I don't think it's that they are worried you will pass on Crohn's, it's more that you're at a higher risk of complications. I don't think it's 100% understood yet but the best theory at the moment is a combination of environmental, genetic and abnormal immune responses cause it. I have read that there is some evidence it can be triggered off by an infection but the other factors would have to be there lying dormant anyway, and the infection just kickstarts the immune system into attacking the gut. I think this is still up for debate though!
 
As DustyKat said early on in this thread, in Australia they will accept blood from Crohn's patients under certain conditions, but this is only used for the plasma content. I was told that this was because it was still not known how Crohn's can be transmitted.
 
I was turned away from a blood center in the UK.
However, I'm not sure if it was because of Crohn's as I was told that since I was born in Colombia I could not donate blood. Imagine that.
 
embyrr said:
I was turned away from a blood center in the UK.
However, I'm not sure if it was because of Crohn's as I was told that since I was born in Colombia I could not donate blood. Imagine that.
Click to expand...

Aye! That's crazy! Did they give any reason as to why someone born in Colombia couldn't give blood?
 

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