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[ahsiang]

hi everyone, my name is ahsiang from malaysia and i've been donating blood for more than 15 times and just only realised i'm a Thal patient after the 15th time donation. i have no idea wht the blood bank is doing for that 15 pack of blood but they didnt inform me that im a Thal and keep on allowing me to donate blood.so is this the right thing to do for a Thal patient to donate blood?will this cause me become weeker for my body?thanks lot n cheer up pal!!

[Andy Battaglia]

Hi ahsiang,

This varies from country to country. In the US, the hematocrit must be at least 38 to donate blood. So it is determined by the hemoglobin or hematocrit level of each donor. If your level is high enough, you can still donate, and it shouldn't cause you any problems. Do you feel OK after donating blood?

[KShep]

here in canada, they wouldn't let me donate. But this was before I was diagnosed with thal minor. They told me my iron was too low to donate, so I dont know if it was because of the thal or not. I am on the one match (bone marrow donor) list though.