Blood donation with factor 5 suffering – what should be considered? | Factor 5 Leiden

Blood donation with factor 5 suffering – what should be considered?

Since Factor 5 Leiden is not an infectious disease, but usually a congenital genetic change, a blood donation is in principle possible. However, since it is a blood coagulation disorder, many blood donation services exclude people with Factor 5 Leiden from donating blood. When donating blood, the injection site is a kind of injury that can lead to a blood clot, for example.

People with Factor 5 disease have a higher risk of developing a blood clot, a so-called thrombus. Such a blood clot can lead to vascular occlusion. This occlusion is called thrombosis.

The blood donation service naturally wants to keep the risk of thrombosis low. Especially if the intended blood donor has already been affected by thrombosis, the blood donation service usually does not want to take this risk. The risk of thrombosis in people with Factor 5 disease depends on the form of this gene change.

If the so-called heterozygous form is present, the risk of thrombosis is 5-10 times higher. However, if the so-called homozygous form is present, the risk of thrombosis is 50-100 times higher. In any case, the coagulation disorder must be reported to the doctor of the blood donation service.

There, a decision is made according to appropriate guidelines. If a blood donation service allows blood donation, it is important to consult a doctor directly in case of possible complications and a suspected thrombosis after the blood donation.