Frequently Asked Questions

If you have been diagnosed with haemochromatosis, there are possibilities for donating blood at Sanquin.

If the disease is not yet in a stable phase or if you have a secondary form of haemochromatosis (this is haemochromatosis due to another disease), your doctor may ask us to perform a therapeutic blood collection (phlebotomy). This blood is not used to treat patients.

If you have the primary (hereditary) form of the disease, and it is in a stable phase, your blood can be donated to patients if you meet the following requirements:

Your ferritin levels in the blood must be lower than 100 microgram per litre.

You are otherwise healthy and meet the requirements set for all other donors.
You can check our registration form to see if you qualify.

Your doctor must submit a request including a recent ferritin level in the blood. Your doctor must reconfirm that the disease is still stable annually, using a form (including a recent ferritin blood test).

After registration, you will meet with a donation doctor and the standard blood tests will be performed to determine whether you can become a donor.

Donation frequency is no more than 3 times per year for women and 5 times per year for men. There must be at least 8 weeks between donations.

Please contact the Blood Bank if you have any questions (088-730 8686).

Typhoid (injection): you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Typhoid (tablet): you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
BCG: you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
Mumps: you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
MMR (measles-mumps-rubella): you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
Cholera: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Diphtheria: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
DTP: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Experimental vaccine: please contact the Blood Bank at 088-730 8686.
Yellow fever: you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
Flu (influenza): you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Haemophilus influenzae: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Hepatitis A: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Hepatitis A after contact: you may donate blood 3 months after vaccination.
Hepatitis B or Hepatitis A + B: you may donate blood 2 weeks after vaccination. Hepatitis B vaccination after blood-blood contact (needle stick accident); you may donate blood again 4 months after the incident.
Rabies: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Rabies vaccination: if this is administered due to contact with an infected animal, you may donate blood again 1 year after vaccination.
Human papilloma virus (Gardasil): you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Pertussis (whooping cough): you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Measles: you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
Meningococcus: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Unregistered vaccine: you may donate blood 1 month after vaccination.
Pneumococcus: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Polio (injection): you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Polio (tablet): you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
Rubella (German measles): you may donate blood 4 weeks after vaccination.
Tick-borne encephalitis (FSME): you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.
Tick-borne encephalitis vaccination (FSME): after exposure (e.g. via tick bite) You may donate blood 1 year after vaccination.
Tetanus: you may donate blood if it was a preventive vaccination and you are symptom-free.

You may not donate blood (any more) after a stroke or heart attack. Donating blood may be associated with health risks in this case, even if you do not have any symptoms any more. Please contact the Blood Bank at 088-730 8686.

Whether you may donate blood depends on the cause.

The condition itself is generally not a problem; the underlying cause may be.

Sometimes people go bald following a major life event or due to stress. The question is then whether you are fit enough to give blood.

Please contact the Blood Bank if you have questions (088-730 8686).

You may not donate blood (any more) if you have ever been diagnosed with cancer. Not even if you have been completely healed. There are exceptions for a specific form of skin cancer or cervical cancer. Please contact the Blood Bank at 088-730 8686.

Using a rigid scope: blood donation is allowed once the wound has healed, sutures have been removed and the results of the procedure or reason for surgery are not a reason to object to donation.

If a flexible endoscope is used, you may donate blood again after 4 months, even if the results of the procedure were normal.

Ultrasound: you may donate blood after an ultrasound exam if the results are good. This applies to both internal and internal ultrasound exams.
 

Please contact the Blood Bank at 088-730 8686.

Please contact the Blood Bank at 088-730 8686.

An artificial hip or artificial knee is a major surgery. It is a good idea to wait to donate until you have recovered fully. In order to donate, you must be fit and rested and may not have any wounds or sutures any more. It is also a good idea to avoid donation until you are no longer using crutches. Please note: if you have received a blood donation, you cannot be a donor (any more). In case of an infected artificial hip or knee, you must be symptom-free for at least 2 weeks and not be on antibiotics for at least 2 weeks. Please contact the Blood Bank to discuss whether donation can be resumed (088-730 8686). 

You may not donate blood. Please contact the Blood Bank at 088-730 8686.