Restrictions
Dear blood donor,
Here are some of the most common health conditions and diseases that temporarily or permanently rule out donating blood. Consider these restrictions only if you are completely certain about your disease or condition; otherwise get a diagnosis.
If you have any concerns about your health or can’t find an answer to your question, be sure to consult a Blood Centre medical staff on tel. 617 009 or 617 3041 during regular Blood Centre hours (Monday and Friday from 8:00-16:00 and from Tuesday to Thursday from 11:00 to 19:00).
- Dental care
- Respiratory disorders
- Tumours
- Disorders of the urinary and reproductive systems
- Ear diseases
- Skin diseases
- Infectious diseases
- Operations and traumas
- Travel related restrictions
- Pregnancy and postpartum
- Medicines
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Endocrine and metabolic disorders
- Gastrointestinal infections
- STDs
- Vaccinations
- Circulatory system disorders
- Disorders of the blood, haemopoiesis and immune system mechanisms
- Other restrictions
DENTAL CARE |
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| Dental care | if no complications, donations can be made 24 hours after treatment |
| Tooth extraction | donations can be made 1 week after treatment |
| Periodontitis, gingivitis | donations can be made 2 week after treatment |
| Stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth or lips) | donations can be made 2 week after treatment |
| Outpatient dental procedure | donations can be made 1 month after treatment |
DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM |
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| Bronchitis | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Bronchial asthma | donations not allowed if needs regular treatment; if regular treatment not required – donations can be made 1 month after using medication and symptom resolution |
| Cold (cough, sore throat) | donations can be made 2 weeks after recovery |
| Flu | donations can be made 2 weeks after recovery |
| COVID-19 | donations can be made 2 weeks after resolution of symptoms or a negative RNA test. If a donor has been exposed to a person with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, donations can be made 14 days after contact with the patient. |
| Pneumonia | donations can be made 6 months after recovery |
| Cold (no sore throat or cough) | donations can be made 1 week after recovery |
| Sinus infection | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Tonsillitis, angina | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Tuberculosis | donations can be made 2 years after being declared disease-free |
TUMOURS |
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| Benign tumour | donations can be made after recovery, decided on a case-by-case basis |
| Malignant tumour | donations not allowed |
DISEASEAS OF THE REPRODUCTIVE AND URINARY SYSTEM |
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| Prostatitis | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Bladder infection without fever | donations can be made 2 weeks after recovery |
| Bladder infection with fever (hospitalized) | donations can be made 3 months after recovery |
| Ovarian infection and infection of the Fallopian tubes | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Kidney infection (pyelitis) | donations can be made 12 months after recovery, attending doctor’s opinion |
EAR DISEASES |
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| Ear infection without discharge | donations can be made 2 weeks after recovery |
| Ear infection with discharge | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
SKIN DISEASES |
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| Acute allergic rash | donations allowed once rash subsides |
| Acne | If Roaccutane was administered, donations allowed 1 month after treatment completed |
| Atopic dermatitis | donations allowed in mild cases if needle insertion site unaffected |
| Eczema | donations not allowed if condition affects the needle insertion site |
| Psoriasis | donations can be made if donor asymptomatic, without severe complications and not required systemic immunemodulatory therapy |
| Removal of birthmarks, papillomata | donations can be made 2 weeks after surgery |
INFECTIOUS DISEASES |
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| Borreliosis | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Tick-borne encephalitis | donations can be made 1 year after recovery |
| Hepatitis A | donations can be made 1 year after recovery |
| Hepatitis B | donations not allowed |
| Hepatitis C | donations not allowed |
| Sexual contact with person with hepatitis B or C or carriers of virus markers | donations not allowed; if 4 months has passed since the last sexual contact, donations allowed if tests are negative |
| Direct contact with hepatitis patients at home | donations can be made 4 months after the last contact |
| Herpes zoster (shingles) | donations can be made 2 weeks after recovery |
| Herpes simplex (cold sores) | donations can be made 1 week after recovery |
| HIV (AIDS) | donations not allowed |
| Sexual contact with HIV positive person | donations not allowed; if 4 months has passed since the last sexual contact, donations allowed if tests are negative |
| Papilloma virus | allowed, if being monitored and patient does not need treatment; if treatment active, decision is made by doctor on a case by case basis |
| Mycoplasma infection | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
| Toxoplasmosis | donations can be made 6 months after recovery |
| Tuberculosis | donations can be made 2 years after being declared disease-free |
OPERATIONS AND TRAUMAS |
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| OPERATIONS | |
| Appendectomy Cholecystectomy Spinal operations Joint operations Endoscopic operations |
donations can be made 4 months after treatment |
| Tonsillectomy Nose and ear cavity operations Eye operations (other than laser) |
donations can be made 2 months after treatment |
| Partial removal of stomach or colon | donations not allowed |
| Major operations, Open abdomen surgery |
donations can be made 6 months after treatment, if there are no contraindications related to disease |
| Laser eye operation | donations can be made 1 month after treatment |
| Polytraumas | donations can be made 1 year after recovery |
| Removal of birthmarks, papillomata | donations can be made 2 weeks after surgery |
| BONE FRACTURES | |
| Home treatment Simple fractures of limbs – hand and foot fractures – rib fractures |
donations can be made 2 months after recovery |
| Hospitalized | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
TRAVEL RELATED RESTRICTIONS |
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| Travellers to area affected by the West Nile Virus (US, Mexico, Canada, EU and neighbouring countries, see complete list HERE) | donations allowed 28 days after departure from area where there is persistent risk of the virus being transmitted to people restriction applies to travel to the EU and neighbouring countries from June to November and in the case of the US and Mexico, year round |
| Travellers to malaria zones (see list HERE) | donations can be made 12 months after departure from affected region |
| Travellers to area affected by other infectious diseases (e.g. Dengue, Chikungunya, etc.) | restriction of blood donation according to the information from the blood center |
PREGNANCY AND POST-PARTUM PERIOD |
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| Abortion | donations can be made 6 months after recovery |
| Pregnancy | donations not allowed |
| Breast-feeding | not allowed during nursing period |
| Childbirth | donations can be made 6 months after recovery |
MEDICINES |
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| Analgesics (aspirin, ibuprofen etc) | Use of analgesics (including aspirin-containing painkillers) will not prevent you from giving blood, if you limit intake to one or two tablets for temporary conditions and there are no other contraindications |
| Antibiotics | donations can be made 2 weeks after the end of the course , if there are no other contraindications |
| Birth control | donations allowed |
| Hormonal replacement therapy during menopause | donations allowed |
| Antidepressants | donations allowed if feel well |
| Roaccutane, Accutane | donations can be made 1 month after ending use of the medicine |
| Medicines for heart problems | donations not allowed |
| Cardiac glycosides | donations not allowed |
| Hormonal preparations | donations can be made 1 month after discontinuing the medicines |
| Growth hormones | donations not allowed |
| Cholesterol lowering drugs | decided on a case-by-case basis |
| Antihypertensive | whole blood donations allowed if treatment have been started at least two weeks before donating, blood pressure is stable and within normal limits; apheresis procedures are not allowed |
| Radioactive iodine | donations can be made 1 year after discontinuing treatment |
| Gold compounds | donations not allowed |
| Mild hypnotics, sedatives | donations allowed |
| Antacids | donations allowed if no other contraindications |
| Laxatives | donations allowed |
| Antiemetics and antinausea drugs | donations allowed |
| Diabetes drugs | donations allowed |
| Radiocontrast agents (containing iodine) | donations allowed 2 weeks after discontinuing drug if no other contraindications |
| Oral treatment for fungal diseases | donations can be made 1 month after ending use of the medicines |
| Epilepsy drugs | donations not allowed; in case of treated epilepsy can donate if 3 years off treatment and free of attacks |
| Antihistamine (anti-allergy) drugs | donations allowed if currently no allergy symptoms |
| ADHD drugs (containing methylphenidate or amphetamine) | donations can be made 1 week after ending use of the medicine |
DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS |
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| Gastritis | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Acute stomach and duodenal ulcer | donations can be made 6 months after recovery |
| Chronic stomach and duodenal ulcer | donations not allowed |
| Acute cholecystitis | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Chronic cholecystitis | donations not allowed |
ENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC DISEASES |
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| Hypothyroidism | in case compensated with L-Thyroxine donations can be made if the medication daily dose has not be changed for the last 6 months |
| Diabetes | donations not allowed |
INTESTINAL INFECTIONS |
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| Mild diarrhoea | donations can be made 1 week after recovery |
| Dysentery | donations can be made 1 month after recovery |
| Salmonella | donations allowed 2 week after recovery and negative results on follow-up tests |
STDs |
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| Genital herpes | donations can be made 4 months after recovery from first infection; donations allowed 2 weeks after recovery in the case of later flare-ups |
| Gonorrhoea | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
| Chlamydia | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
| Genital warts | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
| Mycoplasma infection | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
| Syphilis | donations not allowed |
| Urea plasma infection | donations can be made 4 months after recovery |
VACCINATIONS |
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| BCG, yellow fever, rubella, measles, mumps, polio (oral vaccine), attenuated typhoid vaccine, attenuated cholera vaccine | donations can be made 4 weeks after vaccination if the donor is healthy |
| Hepatitis B | donations can be made 2 weeks after vaccination if the donor is healthy |
| Cholera, inactivated antigen vaccine for typhoid | donations allowed if donor is healthy (donating blood on the day of vaccination is not recommended) |
| Diphtheria, tetanus hepatitis A tick-borne encephalitis papilloma virus |
donations allowed if donor is healthy (donating blood on the day of vaccination is not recommended) |
| Influenza, polio (injected), Japanese encephalitis | donations allowed if donor is healthy (donating blood on the day of vaccination is not recommended) |
| Cervical cancer (HPV vaccine) | donations allowed if donor is healthy (donating blood on the day of vaccination is not recommended) |
| COVID-19 vaccination (vaccination with a killed virus, a vaccine based on a non-reproducible viral vector, a component vaccine or a mRNA vaccine) | donations allowed if donor is healthy (donating blood on the day of vaccination is not recommended) |
| Rabies | donations allowed if donor is healthy. If the patient was bitten by a rabid animal, donations prohibited for one year |
DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM |
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| Hypertension | whole blood donations can be made if no complications and blood pressure is mediated by the drug therapy (started at least 2 weeks ago) stable and within the norm; apheresis procedures are not allowed |
| Myocarditis | donations can be made 2 years after treatment |
| Cardiac infarction (heart attack) | donations not allowed |
| Recurring venous thrombosis | donations not allowed |
PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE BLOOD, HAEMOPOIESIS AND IMMUNE SYSTEM MECHANISMS |
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| Chronic anaemia | donations not allowed |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus, dermatomyositis | donations not allowed |
RESTRICTIONS FOR OTHER REASONS |
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| Menstruation | donating blood during painful or heavy bleeding menstruation is not recommended |
| Tattoos (including permanent makeup), piercings, cosmetic procedures that entail piercing the skin | donations can be made 4 months after the procedure |
| Acupuncture | if non-disposable needles were used, donations can be made 4 months after acupuncture |
| Tick bite | donations can be made 2 months after bite |
| Injured skin or mucous membrane (including that of sexual partners) exposed to another person’s blood | donations can be made 4 months after the last contact |
| Endoscopy | donations can be made 4 months after the procedure |