Sickle cell disease and blood donation
Am I eligible? Before you book, take our eligibility quiz to find out if you’re able to donate today.
Did you know?
- In Canada, blood transfusion is one of the few treatments available to people living with sickle cell disease.
- Blood transfusions can treat various health problems caused by sickle cell disease. Sometimes, only a single transfusion is needed. In other cases, people need regular red blood cell exchanges (where the patients’ sickled red blood cells are removed and replaced with a donor’s red blood cells). Such exchanges may be needed every four to six weeks, for years.
- The most compatible blood for people living with sickle cell disease often comes from donors of similar ethnic ancestry. This is because blood types are inherited.
- While the most common blood types are A, B, AB, and O, there are actually more than 33 blood types. These are determined by combinations of more than 600 markers on the cells, all of which are inherited from our ancestors.
- Donors of all ages and backgrounds are needed to support patients, including those with sickle cell disease who need transfusions throughout their lives. In fact, we need 100,000 new donors every year to keep Canada’s Lifeline strong. The earlier you begin donating, the more lives you can save and improve. Young people can begin donating blood and plasma as early as age 17.
In Canada, insufficient diversity in our pool of donors is one of the biggest challenges we face in supporting people with sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell disease is more frequent among those whose ancestors are from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece and Italy.
Those whose ancestors are also from these regions have the greatest potential to help, as donors and stem cell registrants.
Ulysse Guerrier was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when he was just two years old.
In sickle cell disease, the body cannot produce enough functional red cells, which means that people living with the disease often require regular red blood cell exchange treatments.
Ulysse currently receives seven to twelve units of blood every month. Over the course of his life, he’s received more than 10,000 blood transfusions.
As a person living with sickle cell disease, Ulysse encourages all eligible Canadians to donate blood.
“[Sickle cell] is not a Black person’s disease, it’s a red blood cell disorder. As long as you have blood going through your veins, there is a possibility that you could carry the gene.”
– Ulysse Guerrier, blood recipient living with sickle cell disease
Three easy ways you can help people with sickle cell disease
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Schedule an appointment to donate blood or plasma. We need the donor pool to be as big and diverse as possible. If you’re 17 or older, find out if you’re eligible to donate today (and encourage your friends and family to do the same).
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Join the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada’s Partners for Life team, a national movement to support people living with sickle cell disease.
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If you’re already a blood or plasma donor, remember to donate regularly. For many people living with sickle cell disease and other conditions, the need for blood is ongoing.
About sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease is a debilitating condition that affects approximately 6,000 people across Canada. It is not contagious. The disease is caused by an inherited mutation in hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide back to the lungs. While normal red blood cells are soft, round, and can squeeze through tiny blood vessels, people with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, an abnormal hemoglobin type. These red blood cells are stiff and distorted, with a sickle-like shape, and they sometimes block small blood vessels.
People with sickle cell disease may suffer serious complications such as severe pain episodes, breathing problems, stroke, and even multiple organ failure. Complications are often treated with antibiotics, pain management, intravenous fluids, blood transfusion and surgery. In rare situations, some with extremely severe disease may consider a stem cell transplant. For most, however, there is no cure.
Meeting the need for matched blood
For many people living with sickle cell disease who need regular blood transfusions, a close blood type match is essential. That’s partly because of the increased chance of side effects with the high number of transfusions that people with sickle cell disease may require over a lifetime.
Every person’s red blood cells are covered with markers called antigens, and this is what determines their detailed blood type (beyond ABO blood type). When a patient is transfused with blood from a donor who has a different combination of antigens from their own, their body may respond by producing antibodies that attack these unfamiliar antigens. To prevent these attacks, it’s crucial to find blood from donors whose red blood cell antigens match those of the recipient. Because blood type is inherited, a closer match may be found in donors of similar ethnic ancestry.
Canadian Blood Services is committed to improving transfusion outcomes for people living with sickle cell disease. We do this by proactively managing our inventory of the types of red blood cell units often required by people with sickle cell disease who need regular transfusions. We are also expanding donor testing to better support patients through our rare blood program. Additionally, we are building and strengthening partnerships with community organizations across the country to enhance donor recruitment and retention, and assessing barriers to donation that may impact the supply of blood for patients.
Frequently asked questions
How can I become a blood donor?
If you’re thinking about donating for the first time, here are a few simple steps you can take:
- Find out if you’re eligible. Take the quiz and learn more about the ABCs of eligibility.
- Find a donor centre near you.
- Book an appointment. Booking in advance helps our clinic run smoothly and also helps us ensure your first donation experience is a good one.
- Learn more about the blood donation process.
Still have questions? Sign up for more information by email or call to speak with one of our trained healthcare professionals at 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283).
Why do people with sickle cell disease need donors of the same or similar ethnic ancestry?
Those living with sickle cell disease bring the importance of an ethnically diverse blood supply sharply into focus.
People with sickle cell disease may need regular red blood cell transfusions, and the most compatible blood may come from donors of similar ethnic ancestry. Unlike other transfusion recipients, people living with sickle cell disease have a greater likelihood of experiencing side effects from transfusions. That is partly because of the high number of transfusions they receive over the course of their lives, and partly because of the disease itself. Providing the most compatible blood helps minimize these side effects.
With each transfusion, recipients are exposed to donors’ red blood cell markers, called antigens. If antigens are mismatched, the recipient’s immune system can form antibodies to the antigens that differ from their own. Compared with others who receive red blood cell transfusions, people with sickle cell disease are 10 times more likely to develop antibodies to donor antigens. Once these antibodies form, finding compatible blood for future transfusions becomes more difficult.
Because blood antigens are inherited, antigen-matched blood is more likely to be found in someone whose ancestry resembles that of the recipient.
Sickle cell disease is more frequent among those whose ancestors are from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece and Italy. People whose ancestors are also from these regions have the greatest potential to help people with sickle cell disease, as donors.
How does Canadian Blood Services find the most compatible donors for people with sickle cell disease?
Canadian Blood Services has processes in place to identify matched blood from our large inventory of red blood cell units. These processes include, but are not limited to:
- ongoing recruitment and retention of a large and increasingly diverse donor base
- partnerships with community organizations to help support the recruitment of donors from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds
- testing donors for the antigens commonly found in patients with sickle cell disease
- our rare blood program, which consists of a team of health care professionals who support hospitals by providing individualized patient assessments and by finding optimally matched blood units within our inventory
Can I donate blood if I have sickle cell trait?
Yes! People with sickle cell trait are eligible — and encouraged — to donate blood. If you have never donated blood, plasma or platelets before, we encourage you to call 1 800 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) to discuss your eligibility.
Is Canadian Blood Services currently meeting the needs of people with sickle cell disease who require blood components?
Yes. Canadian Blood Services continues to meet the transfusion needs of people with sickle cell disease through our existing donor base, and by importing products from other blood operators around the world. In 2022, we distributed more than 15,000 units of red blood cells for transfusion to people in Canada living with sickle cell disease and other inherited disorders such as thalassemia.
However, the increasing population of people living with sickle cell disease, along with the growing need for more precise matching of blood groups, are driving the need for more — and even more compatible — donors.
Can people who have travelled to malaria-endemic regions donate whole blood, plasma, or platelets?
If you have travelled to a malaria-endemic region where preventative medications are recommended, your waiting period to donate whole blood or platelets will depend on the length of your stay in certain regions. This is because the chance of having a new or previously unrecognized infection diminish over time.
- If your stay was less than one day, you may be able to donate depending on where you were.
- If your stay was less than six (6) months, you will need to wait three (3) months from the date you left a malaria-endemic region.
- If your stay was six (6) months or more, you will need to wait three (3) years.
If your visit lasted less than 24 hours, please call us at 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236-6283) to discuss your eligibility.
Learn more travel and/or living internationally and blood donation.
Learn more about malaria and blood donation.
Can people who have had malaria donate whole blood, plasma, or platelets?
Unfortunately, at this time, there is no suitable, Health Canada-approved screening test available that can adequately screen blood donors for malaria. In the absence of an available test in Canada, we rely on thorough donor eligibility assessments based on possible exposure to the illness.
This means that if you have had malaria — even if you have fully recovered — you are not eligible to donate whole blood or platelets.
However, you may be able to donate plasma used to manufacture lifesaving medications. You may also be able to donate stem cells, organs and/or tissues.
Sickle cell stories: Real stories from people living with sickle cell disease
Your story can make all the difference.
Whether you’re a recipient or donor, a volunteer or a partner, your story can move others to help save lives.
Looking for more information?
Sickle cell disease resources and research:
- Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada
- Recruitment guide for community (developed in collaboration with Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada)
- Improving red blood cell inventory to support patients with sickle cell disease
- Genotyping red blood cells can make transfusions safer for patients with sickle cell disease
Donor eligibility and additional donor information:
This page has been developed in partnership with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada. We are deeply grateful for their collaboration and their continued advocacy for health and health equity for people living with sickle cell disease.