Is it possible to donate blood after having hepatitis B?
- Josh*

Hepatitis B is one of the viruses that cause hepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver that also can be caused by medication, drugs, alcohol, or actual physical injury to the liver. One of the ways people become infected with the hepatitis B virus is through blood.

People who have been infected with hepatitis B at some point may carry the virus without even knowing it. They can pass hepatitis B to others through blood or sexual contact. Because of this, a person who has tested positive for hepatitis B at any point in his or her lifetime isn't allowed to donate blood.

It's not just hepatitis B that affects eligibility to donate blood. Other types of viral hepatitis, HIV, and some other infections can affect that person's ability to give blood.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date reviewed: May 2009

* Names have been changed to protect user privacy.