Who Can Give Blood?
Blood donors help many people and are urgently needed. But not everyone is eligible. Who can donate blood? We provide information.
Every day in hospitals potential first-time donors are rejected. But even long-term blood donors cannot be accepted due to certain characteristics. So that you don’t have to travel all the way here and then go home disappointed, we give you a lot of important information about the criteria that determine whether you are allowed to donate blood.
Who can give blood? The basic requirements
- Full age
- At least 50 kg body weight
- Healthy
- No alcohol 12 hours before
- No drugs in the last month
- Men are allowed to donate blood six times per year, women four times (whole blood)
- Valid identity card
Who can give blood? Excluded groups of people
- People with chronic disease patterns
- Homosexual men (must abstain for at least 1 year)
- Drug addicts
- Men and women working as prostitutes
- People from regions where diseases that hinder blood donation are common
- Women during the breastfeeding period and generally during and 6 months after pregnancy
Obstructive diseases and treatments
- Acupuncture: 4 months break, if not performed by a doctor
- Allergies: 3 days after the symptoms have subsided
- Antibiotics: 4 weeks after the end of treatment
- Blood transfusions: 6 months after expiry
- Endoscopy: 4 months later
- Diarrhoea: 4 weeks later
- Epilepsy: No further donation allowed
- HIV: No longer accepted as a donor
- High blood pressure: When drugs regulate well – approved
- Drugs: Depending on the reason for taking the medication
- Major operations: 4 months minimum
- Minor operations: About 4 weeks
- People with piercing: 4 months
- Tattoos: 4 months
- Dental treatment: Depending on the procedure 2 days to 4 weeks
Does the blood group decide?
Your blood group is determined before the first blood donation, as it naturally determines who can take your blood. However, it does not matter which blood group you belong to, as donors are needed for each blood group.