A European survey on donor deferral for allergy: Rationale and initial results of a survey in 35 countries

Allergy accounts to near 0.5% of all reported transfusion adverse events. The responsibility of blood components themselves and – therefore – of blood donors is still questioned. The European Community undertook a large international survey to address the consistency and homogeneity of medical selection of blood donors with regard to the risk of allergy, and especially of transferring allergy to recipients. This short report presents the salient points of the survey, stressing that there is inconsistency in addressing the allergy question within countries or systems, with paths of improvement.