In general, if your diabetes is well-controlled by either diet or oral If you have questions regarding your diabetes, contact us at 1 (800) MARROW2 (1-800 …
Medical Eligibility Guidelines: Joining the Registry
Medical eligibility guidelines are used to determine the suitability of a
volunteer to join the registry with the National Marrow Donor Program as a
potential marrow or peripheral blood cell PBSC donor These guidelines
protect the health of the potential volunteer donor and the transplant
recipient
|Age |Heart Disease |
|AIDS/HIV |Hepatitis |
|Allergies |Immunizations |
|Arthritis |Lyme Disease |
|Asthma |Medications |
|Autoimmune Diseases |Organ or Tissue Transplant |
|Back, Neck, Hip, and Spine |Piercing Body, Skin, Ear |
|Blood Pressure |Pregnancy |
|Cancer |Sexually Transmitted Diseases |
|Cold/Flu |Tattoos |
|Depression |Travel
|
|Diabetes |Tuberculosis |
|Epilepsy |Weight |
Age: You must be between the ages of 18 and 60 to become a potential
volunteer donor listed on the NMDP Registry Age guidelines are not meant
to discriminate They are meant to protect the safety of the donor and
provide the best possible outcome for the patient The lower age limit is
based on the legal age of consent A guardian or parent is not able to sign
a release or give consent because unrelated marrow donation is a voluntary
procedure
The upper age limit is based on donor and patient considerations There is
a small increase in the risk of side effects from anesthesia in older
donors And recent NMDP studies show that patients receiving marrow or
blood-forming cell transplants from older donors have a somewhat poorer
survival rate
AIDS/HIV: If you have been diagnosed with HIV AIDS you cannot register
to become a potential volunteer donor listed on the NMDP Registry If you
are at risk for the HIV/AIDS virus, you may not be allowed to register for
a certain period of time To learn more
about medical guidelines for
persons who are at risk for the HIV/AIDS virus, contact us at 1 800
MARROW2 1-800-627-7692
More information about HIV/AIDS and how it is transmitted may be found at
the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Web site at http://wwwcdcgov/hiv/pubs/faqshtm
Allergies: If you suffer from common allergies to animals, the
environment, or medications, etc, you will be allowed to register to
donate Serious or life-threatening allergies to medications or latex will
need to be carefully evaluated before you may join the NMDP Registry as a
potential volunteer donor
See Asthma
Arthritis: In general, if you have mild to moderate osteoarthritis or
degenerative arthritis, you will be permitted to join the NMDP Registry
Mild to moderate arthritis is defined as having little impact on daily
activities, and is relieved by taking occasional medications If you have
arthritis affecting the spine, your condition will need to be carefully
evaluated before you will be allowed to register to become a potential
volunteer donor If you have a severe medical arthritic condition such as
rheumatoid, reactive, psoriatic and advanced stages
of other types of
arthritis, you will not be allowed to register
Asthma: If you have asthma that is exercise-induced or is well-controlled
using an inhaler, and have had no attacks requiring oral or intravenous
steroids or emergency care in the past five years, you are able to register
to become a potential volunteer donor If you have asthma requiring
regular/daily use of oral steroids, you will not be allowed to register
Autoimmune Diseases: Most diseases which may be defined as auto-immune
disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, chronic fatigue
syndrome and fibromyalgia, will prevent you from registering to become a
potential volunteer donor However, if you have a condition such as
Hashimotos or Graves disease, you may be allowed to register as long as
the disease has been successfully treated and you are medically stable
Back, Neck, Hip, and Spine: Common back problems such as sprains, strains
and aches should not prevent you from registering to become a potential
volunteer donor However, if you have any of the following conditions, you
will not be allowed to register:
Back surgery in the past 5 years
Herniated, bulging or slipped disc anywhere
along your spine
History of a spine fracture
Chronic back pain requiring ongoing medical treatment including
chiropractic care and/or daily pain medication
Placement of rods for scoliosis
History of a hip fracture and/or repair
If you have significant back problems and/or any questions regarding your
medical condition, contact your local donor center
Blood Pressure: If you have elevated blood pressure hypertension, you
may register if your condition is well-controlled by medication or diet and
if there is no associated heart disease See Heart Disease, if applicable
Cancer: If you have a history of pre-cancerous cells, you will be able to
register to become a potential volunteer donor If you have had cured,
local skin cancer basal cell or squamous cell, you are also able to
register Persons who have healed cervical cancer in situ, breast cancer in
situ, or bladder cancer in situ are also able to register In situ cancer
is diagnosed at a very early stage and is specifically called in situ
If you have had any other form of cancer, including melanoma, you are not
eligible to become a volunteer donor - no matter the length of time since
your treatment or
recovery
Cold/Flu: Recent infections, such as colds or flu will not prevent you
from registering to become a potential volunteer donor
Depression: If you have a history of depression that is stable and well-
controlled, you may register to become a potential volunteer donor To
discuss any other mental health conditions, contact us at 1 800 MARROW2
1-800-627-7692
Diabetes: If you have diabetes a careful evaluation of your current health
status will be necessary In general, if your diabetes is well-controlled
by either diet or oral medications, you will be allowed to register If you
require insulin or if you have diabetes-related serious health issues such
as kidney, heart or eye disease, you will not be allowed to register If
you have questions regarding your diabetes, contact us at 1 800 MARROW2
1-800-627-7692
Epilepsy: You may register if you have well-controlled epilepsy and have
had no seizures in the past year
Heart Disease: In general, if you have heart disease you may not become a
potential volunteer donor This includes a prior heart attack, any history
of angioplasty, bypass surgery, heart valve replacement surgery or
pacemakers However, some heart conditions such
as well-controlled
irregular heartbeats arrhythmias, or mitral valve prolapse that does not
require medication or restrictions, will not prevent you from registering
to become a donor Your situation will be evaluated on an individual basis
Hepatitis:
You will be allowed to join the NMDP Registry if you have:
a history of fully-recovered documented Hepatitis A
received a vaccine to prevent hepatitis
You may be asked to wait for one year from the date of exposure if you have
had:
close or intimate contact with someone with active hepatitis
possible exposure to hepatitis B or C
If you have any of the following, you may not become a volunteer donor:
history of or risk for hepatitis B or C
history of hepatitis or yellow jaundice after age 10 without a known
cause
If you have questions regarding hepatitis and registration, contact us at:
1 800 MARROW2 1-800-627-7692 More information about hepatitis and how
it is transmitted may be found at the Department of Health and Human
Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at:
wwwcdcgov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/
Immunizations: If you have received a common immunization you may
register
to become a potential volunteer donor If you have received an
investigational vaccine, however, your situation must be evaluated Some
immunizations such as smallpox will require assessment if you are
selected as a potential donor
Lyme Disease: If you have fully recovered from Lyme disease you may
register to become a potential volunteer donor If you have chronic Lyme
disease you may not register
Medications: Treatment with some medications may impact your suitability
to register as a potential volunteer donor Most often it is not the actual
drug itself but the condition requiring the medication that would determine
your suitability If you are currently taking medications and want to
discuss the medications and underlying condition, contact us at 1 800
MARROW2 1-800-627-7692
Organ or Tissue Transplant: If you have received human tissues, such as
bone including bone powder for dental procedures, ligaments, tendons,
skin and corneas, you may be allowed to register to become a potential
volunteer donor, depending on the reason for the procedure
If you received any of the following types of transplants you may not
register:
human organs such as heart, lung, liver, or
kidney
marrow or blood-forming cells
dura mater
xenotransplant live tissues from animals
Piercing Body, Skin, Ear: If you have had ear or body piercing in the
past year you may register to become a potential volunteer donor if non-
shared instruments were used If you had a body piercing using non-sterile
or shared instruments in the past year you may register but would not be
allowed to donate for 12 months from the date of the piercing
Pregnancy: If you are pregnant you may register for the Program, however,
you must be temporarily deferred until you are fully recovered from the
delivery Blood-forming cells cannot be collected at any time during
pregnancy
If you are currently pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, you may
want to consider donating your babys umbilical cord blood after your baby
is born To see if this is an option at your hospital, see Cord Blood
Participating Hospitals
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: If you have or have had a sexually
transmitted disease such as herpes, HPV, Chlamydia or syphilis you are
eligible to register for the Program
Tattoos: If you received a tattoo in the past year evaluation will be
necessary You may not be able
to donate for 12 months from the date of
receiving the tattoo
Travel: You are allowed to register regardless of where you have traveled
If you are selected as a potential donor, recent travel to areas at risk
for such infections such as malaria or mad-cow disease will be evaluated
Tuberculosis: If you have had active pulmonary tuberculosis TB within
the last two years, you may not register You can register if you have
completed treatment for TB, if it has been more than 2 years, and you have
a clear chest x-ray You may also register if you have a history of a
positive Mantoux PPD
Weight: A formula that measures body fat - called Body Mass Index BMI –
is used to evaluate weight when determining donor suitability You may not
be allowed to register if your BMI both underweight and overweight would
present a risk to your safety See Donor Weight Guidelines for more
information
These guidelines cover many factors that may make a person medically
suitable or medically unable to register to become a potential volunteer
donor However, these guidelines do not include every situation that would
prevent a person from actually donating If you are ever called as a
potential match for a
patient, you will undergo a thorough health history
and physical exam to ensure it is safe — for both you and the patient –
to donate
To learn more about becoming a donor, see Join the Registry
Source:mhhe.com
