Opinion around blood donation by those over 65: no cause for concern
At the request of the Minister of Health, the Supreme Health Council formulated an opinion on the maximum age for a first blood donation. Specifically, what does that advice mean, and can a person 65 and older no longer donate?
- First, the advisory states that giving blood could be a slightly higher risk for older donors who have never given blood before. But Belgian Red Cross-Flanders already accepts over-65s as donors only if they have given blood in the past 3 years.
- Second, the opinion of the Supreme Health Council speaks of a potential risk of passing on diseases to the patient receiving the blood. Fortunately, there is no cause for concern thanks to the three science-based layers of safety for blood, plasma and platelet donation that Belgian Red Cross-Flanders employs. These include the medical questionnaire with the accompanying discussion with the physician, the thorough tests we subject the blood samples to and the processing of the blood products. These three things together ensure that all blood products in Flanders - including those from people over 65 - are extremely safe. In contrast, the opinion of the High Health Council provides little concrete scientific evidence to speak of a significantly higher risk.
"Regarding the first aspect - the risk to the older donors themselves - we even see that the opposite is true. The number of physical discomforts among active 65-plus donors is in reality the lowest of all age groups. What's more: among over-65s in Flanders, the risk of these so-called "donor reactions," such as fainting or bruising, is even three times lower than among 20- to 29-year-olds. One reason for this is that in our country there is always a medical screening by the doctor before you can give blood. And in doing so, our doctors always handle older donors very carefully." Philippe Vandekerckhove, Chief executive officer, CEO of Belgian Red Cross-Flanders
So we are not deviating from our current policy. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke also previously confirmed in a response to the Supreme Health Council's opinion that he stands behind the current practice.
So.
Are you 65+ and still donating within the last 3 years? Then we would love to welcome you to one of our blood collections soon, along with donors of all other ages!