| Obligatory | Must not donate if: Suffers from porphyria |
| Discretionary | If the potential donor suffers from Acute Porphyria, Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP), Varigate Porphyria (VP) or Hereditary Coproporphyria (HCP), it is 12 months or more since their last acute attack and they have no current skin lesions, accept. |
| See if Relevant | Hepatitis |
| Additional Information | Acute porphyrias (AIP, VP and HCP) may be associated with skin lesions and raised blood porphyrins independently of acute attacks. Theoretically the recipient of the blood could develop skin lesions, and we therefore exclude anyone with active skin lesions. Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT) is almost always an acquired condition associated with underlying liver disease, usually hepatitis of viral or unknown origin. These patients are often treated by venesection, however because of the risk of transmission of the agent that caused the condition the blood is not suitable for transfusion. With Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) and Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria (CEP) the patient is often anaemic because of the condition. Also in these conditions there are porphyrins in the red cells and red cell life span is reduced so the blood is not suitable for donation. |
| Reason for change | This is a new entry. |
| Donor Information | If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line. Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers. |