There’s no age limit on giving blood
Dear Dr. Roach: I have been a pretty regular blood donor for decades. My question at this time is if I should continue to be a blood donor, as I am 84 years of age. My health is excellent, and I’m not taking any medications for any ailments. I have no blood pressure problems.
I know the system takes a few weeks to “replenish” after giving blood, and that has started to concern me, considering my age. Being a regular donor, all the information is in the record, but no one has ever said anything about an age limit. What is your opinion?
J.C. Answer: There is no age limit on donating blood. That is, if you are healthy and have no medical conditions that would keep you from donating.
Dear Dr. Roach: About six months ago, I was told I needed a hip replacement, but they were unable to do surgery because of my medical conditions. I am 78 years old, weigh 240 pounds, have diabetes, sleep apnea, mitral valve prolapse and congestive heart failure. The doctor said I had only a 50/50 chance of coming out of the surgery OK.
R.L. Answer: A hip replacement is a big, invasive surgery that improves quality of life for most people who need it. However, it isn’t right or safe for everyone.
Congestive heart failure is a very broad diagnosis that can include people with a very mild decrease in their heart function to people with acutely life-threatening disease to people with severe chronic disability. Congestive heart failure isn’t a specific diagnosis, it’s a syndrome with many possible causes. I don’t know enough about you to comment on the “50/50” comment, but it is certainly true that many people with CHF are not considered safe for an elective surgery. Having additional medical conditions can increase your risk further.
If it’s the CHF that makes your doctors hesitate about surgery, and you are not seeing a specialist for it, you should. It’s possible that with more aggressive treatment, your CHF would be better controlled, possibly enough to reconsider surgery. Readers may email questions to: ToYourGoodHealth@med .cornell.edu or mail questions to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.