Disease Threat Means Women Can't Donate Plasma For Transfusions

OMAHA, Neb. -- New rules are in effect for plasma donors that exclude women.

On July 1, the American Red Cross and the Midwest Regional Blood Services put new donor guidelines into effect that won't allow women to donate plasma for use in transfusions. Female plasma can cause a syndrome called TRALI -- transfusion-related acute lung injury, a leading cause of death among plasma recipients.

"Nobody's sure of the specific mechanism of it, but it causes the patients lungs to fill up very rapidly with fluid," said Lisa Kustka, of the American Red Cross.

Women who are or who have been pregnant can transmit it through donated plasma because of a protein that develops in their bodies, Kustka said her organization is turning away even women who haven't been pregnant. At this time, there is no way to screen for antibodies that are connected with TRALI, so until they can be detected, women's plasma will not be used in transfusions.

"It's really important that we, as an organization, take the steps we can to help reduce the potential of (TRALI) occurring," Kustka said.

That means nearly half of the Red Cross's plasma donors are off the list, including Shelly Buys, who has donated plasma more than 20 times.

"My sister-in-law got leukemia and she told me that she needed lots of platelets, and so I decided to start helping her, and I've been donating ever since," Buys said.

The Red Cross is putting out a call to men.

"Male plasma is what we are reserving primarily for transfusion," Kustka said.

She said that does not mean female blood donors will be turned away.

"We really encourage all eligible donors, regardless of sex, to come in and work with us to identify the best product for them to donate," Kustka said.