Can I Give Blood, Even Though I Have Diabetes?

Ask Dr. Asqual Getaneh

Q: I am 42 years old, and I have diabetes. Can I donate blood or become an organ donor? 

— Annette, New Jersey

A: How wonderful it is that you are thinking about donating blood or an organ. It is a constant struggle for the blood banks and transplant centers to maintain an adequate supply.

The answer to your question is not the same for both organ and blood donation, so I will first address blood donation. Yes, you can donate blood, if you meet the following criteria:

• Your sugar level is controlled.
• You are in good health.
• Your blood pressure is below 180/100.
• You are not anemic (low red blood cells).

The blood banks usually check for donor eligibility through a series of other questions and tests, so keep in mind that you might still be disqualified. For example, if you have received bovine (beef) insulin since 1980, you may not be eligible to donate. That's because some bovine insulin was made from cattle in the United Kingdom and might carry Creutzfeldt-Jakob (or "mad cow") disease.

If you are eligible to donate, make sure you have an adequate meal, drink extra fluids to replace the volume being removed, and stay away from caffeinated beverages on the day of your donation. Around that date, it's important to eat iron-rich foods (such as spinach, kale, and lean red meat). And as always, stay away from fatty foods, which might affect some of the tests done to determine eligibility.

Regarding organ donation, let me give you some general information. There are various organs and tissues in the human body that can be transplanted to save lives or cure illnesses. The heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, and intestines can be donated. Besides organs, we can donate tissues such as skin, cartilage, tendons, corneas, veins, and heart valves.

The donation of an organ can be life saving for many people in need, and tissue transplantation can give them a chance to see, walk, or otherwise have a second chance at life. One can be a living donor or donate after death. Live donors, for example, can give a kidney or a part of their liver. Diabetics are excluded from being living donors, though. Here's why: Diabetes impacts the kidneys, the pancreas, and other organs, and the procedure exposes the donor to surgical risks. However, you are eligible to donate your organs after death. This is because each organ is evaluated on a case-by-case basis and many parts of the body not affected by diabetes can be used to sustain life.

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Ask Dr. Asqual Getaneh

Can I Give Blood, Even Though I Have Diabetes?

Q: I am 42 years old, and I have diabetes. Can I donate blood or become an organ donor?

— Annette, New Jersey

A: 

How wonderful it is that you are thinking about donating blood or an organ. It is a constant struggle for the blood banks and transplant centers to maintain an adequate supply.
The answer to your question is not the same for both organ and blood donation, so I will first address blood donation. Yes, you can donate blood, if you meet the following criteria:

• Your sugar level is controlled.
• You are in good health.
• Your blood pressure is below 180/100.
• You are not anemic (low red blood cells).

The blood banks usually check for donor eligibility through a series of other questions and tests, so keep in mind that you might still be disqualified. For example, if you have received bovine (beef) insulin since 1980, you may not be eligible to donate. That's because some bovine insulin was made from cattle in the United Kingdom and might carry Creutzfeldt-Jakob (or "mad cow") disease.

If you are eligible to donate, make sure you have an adequate meal, drink extra fluids to replace the volume being removed, and stay away from caffeinated beverages on the day of your donation. Around that date, it's important to eat iron-rich foods (such as spinach, kale, and lean red meat). And as always, stay away from fatty foods, which might affect some of the tests done to determine eligibility.

Regarding organ donation, let me give you some general information. There are various organs and tissues in the human body that can be transplanted to save lives or cure illnesses. The heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, and intestines can be donated. Besides organs, we can donate tissues such as skin, cartilage, tendons, corneas, veins, and heart valves.

The donation of an organ can be life saving for many people in need, and tissue transplantation can give them a chance to see, walk, or otherwise have a second chance at life. One can be a living donor or donate after death. Live donors, for example, can give a kidney or a part of their liver. Diabetics are excluded from being living donors, though. Here's why: Diabetes impacts the kidneys, the pancreas, and other organs, and the procedure exposes the donor to surgical risks. However, you are eligible to donate your organs after death. This is because each organ is evaluated on a case-by-case basis and many parts of the body not affected by diabetes can be used to sustain life.

Diabetes expert Asqual Getaneh, MD, answers your frequently asked questions on diabetes symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, diet, medications, and management. Dr. Getaneh is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University in New York, where she specializes in diabetes and obesity. About Dr. Getaneh.