Eat a healthy meal, and avoid processed foods high in sugar and fat. Drink an extra 2 cups (16 ounces) of water before you go to the donation center. Take your blood sugar levels as usual to make sure you are in a normal range. Therefore, blood donation is generally safe for people with diabetes who are in good health.īefore giving blood, make sure you’re feeling well and continue to take your medications as prescribed. This partnership means taking the health of the blood or plasma donor into account, undergoing a pre-donation physical exam, and using sterile equipment and trained staff. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) works with the Red Cross to set eligibility requirements to ensure that blood donation is safe for both the donor and receiver. It is very important to stick to your treatment plan as prescribed by your health care provider, even if it means you can’t donate blood in your country.īlood Donation Safety for People With Diabetes People with type 2 diabetes must manage their condition with diet, exercise, and/or oral medications rather than insulin to be eligible for blood donation. For example, the NHS of the United Kingdom disqualifies those who take insulin from donating blood. However, in some other countries, people with diabetes have more restrictions on blood donation. They do not specify an exact hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) or blood glucose value that is considered “well controlled,” so this might depend on how you report your diabetes management, as well as the physical exam you receive before blood donation. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also says that those with diabetes that is under control, with or without medications, are eligible to donate. The Red Cross doesn’t differentiate between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. According to the Red Cross, people with well-controlled diabetes who are on insulin or other oral diabetes medications are eligible to donate whole blood or plasma. In the United States, having well-controlled diabetes should not disqualify you from donating blood.

If you are feeling sick for any reason, push back your appointment to another day - there will always be an opportunity to give blood. Most chronic (long-term) health conditions do not disqualify you from donating as long as you feel well. As long as your weight is not higher than the weight limit of the donor bed you are using, you may donate blood. However, people who have not had any heart disease symptoms (such as heart attack or chest pain) in the last 6 months are eligible to donate.Īlthough you must be at least 110 pounds to donate blood, there are no upper weight limits for blood donation. There are some restrictions on giving blood if you are living with heart disease. During the pre-donation physical exam, the medical team will take your blood pressure and other measurements before allowing you to donate. You are allowed to donate blood as long as your blood pressure is below 180/100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and above 90/50 mm Hg on the day of donation. One DiabetesTeam member asked, “Does anyone else bruise or bleed at their injection site?” If you are prone to easy bleeding, ask your doctor for medical advice before donating blood. Aspirin and other blood thinners, often used to prevent blood clotting, lead to easy bleeding and bruising. If you are donating platelets, you cannot take aspirin for at least two days beforehand. Before going to give blood, make sure that you meet the requirements. They have a list of things they check before you can donate, like the medicine you take, allergies, and bleeding problems, and you can find these rules on their website.īelow are some guidelines that may be relevant to people with diabetes and commonly related conditions, including heart disease and high blood pressure.

The American Red Cross checks possible donors to make sure they don’t have infections, are at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds. General Requirements for Whole Blood and Plasma Donation

Requirements to donate plasma biolife