I originally thought this was a very simple question when a reader first asked it. In fact, when I first looked into it, all the information pointed to an answer of "No, people with MS are not eligible to donate blood." The reason most often put forth was that it was to protect the health of the people with MS.
However, after a little digging, I found the latest Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines, which were released on May 24, 2007. Since they did not mention MS as an exclusionary factor for being a blood donor, I called the National Headquarters of the American Red Cross (1-800-GIVE-LIFE) to confirm that MS had been taken off the list. I was told that people with MS could now donate blood if they met all of the other criteria.
Of course, it is important to mention any medications that you are taking to the nurse at the blood donation center, but none of the disease-modifying therapies or common symptom management meds are specifically listed as restricted. The person whom I spoke with at the National Headquarters said that any drug in question would be looked up on-site.
Note: Since publishing this article, I have gotten several e-mails and comments from people with MS that report going to a Red Cross blood drive or facility and being told that they could not give blood.
It is possible (even probable) that the individual blood banks are not aware of the new eligibility rules. I’ll admit, it did take about 3 phone calls before I got the “official” word that people with MS could donate blood.
It is also possible that some individual blood banks still have MS on their list of exclusion criteria. The following disclaimer appears at the top of the Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines:
“This list is not complete. Medical professionals are available at each blood collection center and details of each donor's health and activities are discussed in a confidential setting prior to blood donation. The final determination of eligibility is made at that time. Some donor eligibility rules are specified by the Food and Drug Administration for every blood bank in the country. Other rules are determined by the particular blood bank and may differ between programs.”
Source:
Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines. American Red Cross. Last revised May 24, 2008.
