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).