The April 17, 2002, issue of JAMA contains an article about an uncommon complication of blood transfusion.

Who Needs Blood Transfusions?

• Persons who have lost blood due to burns and other injuries
• Persons who lose blood during surgical procedures
• Certain individuals with cancer, sickle cell disease and other disorders

There are a few requirements for blood donors; however, most individuals are eligible to donate as often as every eight weeks. To donate, you must:

• Be at least 17 years of age
• Weigh at least 110 pounds
• Be in good health

Who Cannot Donate Blood

Individuals may be temporarily or permanently deferred from donating blood. Individuals who are temporarily deferred are those who have a short-term condition or circumstance under which donation is not recommended, including:

• Heart attack or cardiac surgery in the last 6 to 12 months
• Malaria in the past 3 years, or travel in the past year to an area where malaria is present
• Transfusion with blood or blood products in the past year
• Having received a tattoo or any body piercing within the past year
• Household contact within the past year with a person who has hepatitis
• Not feeling well on the day he or she wishes to donate
• Taking antibiotics within 72 hours before donation
• Low blood cell count

Individuals who are permanently deferred should never donate blood. Permanent deferrals include:

• Chemotherapy or radiation to treat some types of cancer
• Hepatitis at age 11 years or older
• High risk of having HIV due to injection drug use or sexual contacts

Give the gift of life! It is estimated that 60 percent of the population will need blood or a blood component at some time in their lives. Only about 5 percent of eligible individuals actually donate. As a result, the blood supply nationwide often runs short, especially around holidays and during summer months.

Donating blood is safe and relatively painless. You cannot get HIV (the virus that causes AIDS [acquired immunodeficiency syndrome]), hepatitis or other diseases from donating blood.

It only takes 35 to 40 minutes to donate.

For More Information

American Association of Blood Banks
(301)907-6977
www.aabb.org

America's Blood Centers
(888)256-6388
www.americasblood.org

Inform Yourself

To find this and previous JAMA Patient Pages, go to the Patient Page Index on JAMA's Web site at www.jama.com.

Sources: American Association of Blood Banks, America's Blood Centers, American Red Cross, National Blood Data Resource Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Stanford Medical School Blood Center, United Blood Services.

Lise M. Stevens, M.A., Writer
Cassio Lynm, M.A., Illustrator
Richard M. Glass, M.D., Editor

(JAMA. 2002; 287:2024)
Published in JAMA: April 17, 2002