Medical Guideline for Joining the Registry
Effective October 1, 2012
What: Be The Match® is implementing a change in our recruiting practices. We are focusing our recruiting efforts on adding registry members between the ages of 18 and 44.
Why: Patients need younger donors! Younger donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success, so we are focusing on growing the best registry possible for patients in need.
Currently just 60 percent of Be The Match Registry® members are under age 45, yet transplant doctors request potential donors between the ages of 18 to 44 more than 90 percent of the time.
Together, we are providing patients more hope for a cure by recruiting those most likely to save a life.
How this affects you: Effective October 1, 2012, we are only registering those between the ages of 18 and 44 at marrow registry drives.
Individuals between the ages of 45 and 60 may still join the registry online with a $100 tax-deductible payment at BeTheMatch.org/join.
We are encouraging individuals over the age of 45 to help in other life-saving ways, such as making a financial contribution to add someone between 18 and 44 to the registry, volunteering or spreading the word about the need for younger registry members.
When you decide to become a donor on the registry, you will complete a health questionnaire to confirm you meet the medical guidelines. The medical guidelines protect your health as a potential donor, as well as the health of transplant patients.
Age
You must be between the ages of 18 and 44 to join the registry. Age guidelines are not meant to discriminate. They are meant to protect the safety of the donor and provide the best possible outcome for the patient. The lower age limit is based on the legal age of consent. A guardian or parent is not able to sign a release or give consent because unrelated bone marrow donation is a voluntary procedure.
The upper age limit is based on donor and patient considerations. There is a small increase in the risk of side effects from anesthesia in older donors.
The following are the conditions that prevent you from becoming a donor:
• HIV or risk for HIV
• Hepatitis or risk for hepatitis
• Most forms of heart disease or cancer
• Chronic lung disease
• Diabetes requiring insulin or diabetes-related health issues
• Diseases that affect blood clotting or bleeding
• Recent back surgery, or severe or ongoing back problems
• Autoimmune/neurological disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis
• Being an organ or marrow transplant recipient
• Significant obesity
• Current sleep apnea
Weight Guidelines
Donor Height and Weight Guidelines at Recruitment |
|
Height |
Maximum Weight (in pounds) |
4’10” |
191 |
4’11” |
198 |
5’0″ |
204 |
5’1″ |
211 |
5’2″ |
218 |
5’3″ |
225 |
5’4″ |
233 |
5’5″ |
240 |
5’6″ |
247 |
5’7″ |
255 |
5’8″ |
263 |
5’9″ |
270 |
5’10” |
278 |
5’11” |
286 |
6’0″ |
295 |
6’1″ |
301 |
6’2″ |
310 |
6’3″ |
321 |
6’4″ |
328 |
6’5″ |
339 |
6’6″ |
345 |
6’7″ |
355 |
6’8″ |
363 |
6’9″ |
374 |
6’10” |
381 |
6’11” |
392 |
7’0″ |
400 |