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Obligatory
Must not donate if:
a) The donor has needed treatment to suppress the condition in the last 12 months.
b) The cardiovascular system is involved.
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See if Relevant
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Additional Information
Treatment to suppress the condition may be with steroids, immunosuppressive drugs, antimetabolites, antibodies directed against parts of the immune system as well as other therapies such as PUVA (psoralen plus ultraviolet A). These will affect the donor's immune system. This may make the donor more susceptible to certain types of infection and also will make some infections more difficult to diagnose.
Taking painkilling drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and having physical therapy such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy etc. are not considered treatments to suppress the condition.
Autoimmune disease can cause problems such as infertility and thrombosis (antiphospholipid or Hughes' syndrome).
Some autoimmune conditions can permanently damage the cardiovascular system. If this is known to have happened, the person should not donate as they are more likely to have a serious adverse event.
Autoimmune disease is caused by the body attacking itself. This is with antibodies that are in the fluid part of the blood (plasma), and with immune cells directly attacking target cells in the part/s of the body affected. Transfusion of antibodies, or transfer of immune cells, could lead to similar damage in the people receiving them.
If the donor is well and has not received treatment to suppress the condition in the last 12 months it is unlikely that their donation will pose a risk to the recipient.
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Information
Part of this entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005.
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Update Information
This entry was last updated in:
DSG-WB Edition 203, Release 01.
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Reason for Change
Involvement of the cardiovascular system has been added to the reasons for deferral.
'Additional Information' has been added to clarify what treatment may have been used to suppress the condition.
Under 'See if Relevant' links have been added to 'Cardiovascular Disease' and 'Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs'. Also 'transfusion' and 'filtration' have been added to 'plasma exchange'.
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Donor Information
If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line.
Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers.
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