Hemochromatosis patients are treated with periodic phlebotomies or blood letting to remove excess iron from their body. Because these patients benefit medically and financially by giving blood (they dont have to pay for phlebotomy), there has been concern that they might donate despite having infectious disease risk factors and that their blood might be less safe. As a result, FDA regulations have not promoted blood donation from hemochromatosis patients.
Hemochromatosis patients in this study had no more risk of transmitting viral infections than did other donors. This finding should help guide future decisions on blood donations by these patients. If people with hemochromatosis qualify as donors then that could potentially have a significant impact on the national blood supply, said NHLBI Director Dr. Claude Lenfant.
The study authors report that the issue of the acceptability of blood donations from patients with hemochromatosis becomes more relevant as concerns about eating contaminated beef lead to the implementation of new donor deferral policies based on a history of living or traveling in Europe or the United Kingdom.
Hemochromatosis affects 0.5 percent of white people living in the United States. Once considered rare, the disease is now believed by many to be the most common genetic disease of white Americans. There are few published data on the prevalence of the disease in minority populations.
While it seems like a relatively small pool of potential donors, people with hemochromatosis would give regularly since periodic donation is required to control their condition.
Th
'"/>
Contact: NHLBI Communications Office
301-496 - 4236
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
26-Sep-2001