What is the acceptable blood pressure (BP) range for blood donation?

Acceptable Blood Pressure for Blood Donation

For standard whole blood donation, donors should have blood pressure less than 180/100 mmHg, with most blood services accepting donors with systolic BP <180 mmHg and diastolic BP <100 mmHg at the time of donation.

Blood Pressure Measurement Requirements

• Blood pressure should be measured by trained clinical staff using properly calibrated equipment before each donation 1
• At least one measurement is required at the time of donation, though some centers may perform multiple measurements if values are borderline 1

Standard Acceptance Criteria

The typical upper limits for blood donation are:

• Systolic BP: <180 mmHg
• Diastolic BP: <100 mmHg

These thresholds differ substantially from organ donation criteria, where much stricter limits apply (systolic <140 mmHg and diastolic <90 mmHg) 1.

Lower Blood Pressure Limits

• There is no evidence that low pre-donation blood pressure increases adverse donor reactions 2
• Hypotension has not been shown to be an independent predictive factor for donor complications in a systematic review of 1,482,020 donations 2
• Blood services should not routinely defer donors based solely on low blood pressure readings, as this inappropriately excludes safe donors 2

Elevated Blood Pressure Considerations

• Donors with elevated BP (140-179/90-99 mmHg) can safely donate and may actually experience beneficial BP reductions with regular donation 3
• Research shows that after four blood donations, hypertensive donors experienced significant decreases: systolic BP dropped from 155.9 to 143.7 mmHg and diastolic from 91.4 to 84.5 mmHg 3
• However, these apparent benefits likely represent regression to the mean rather than true physiological improvement 4

Physiological Stress Response

• Blood pressure typically increases during the pre-donation period due to psychological stress, with significant elevations in systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure 5
• This stress-related elevation should be considered when interpreting borderline readings 5
• If BP is elevated due to apparent anxiety, a brief rest period and repeat measurement may be appropriate before deferral 5

Key Distinctions from Organ Donation

Critical caveat: The evidence provided primarily addresses kidney donation criteria (BP <140/90 mmHg) 1, which are not applicable to standard blood donation. Organ donation requires much stricter cardiovascular screening because donors face permanent loss of organ function and long-term health risks, whereas blood donation involves temporary, renewable loss with minimal long-term consequences 6.

Practical Algorithm

1. Measure BP with calibrated equipment 1
2. If BP ≥180/100 mmHg: Defer donation and recommend medical follow-up
3. If BP 140-179/90-99 mmHg: Accept for donation; counsel on cardiovascular health 3
4. If BP <140/90 mmHg: Accept for donation 2
5. If BP appears low but donor is asymptomatic: Accept for donation (no lower limit contraindication) 2

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not apply organ donation BP criteria (<140/90 mmHg) to blood donation - this would inappropriately defer many safe donors 1
• Do not defer donors solely for low BP unless they are symptomatic, as evidence shows no increased adverse events 2
• Do not assume regular blood donation will treat hypertension - apparent BP improvements likely reflect regression to the mean 4