Bone marrow donor criteria slammed

A sports-mad PE teacher has said he could not believe he has been barred from donating bone marrow because his body mass index (BMI) is too high.

Carl Zaffino, 38, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, says he was rejected as a donor because his BMI of 36.19 makes him technically obese.

But Mr Zaffino says the reading - based on his 5ft 10in frame and 18 stone weight - is down to his muscular physique built through his active, sporting lifestyle.

He thinks the National Blood Service, which runs the British Bone Marrow Register (BBMR), is too arbitrary when it rejects donors with a BMI higher than 35. But the National Blood Service said the limits were there to protect potential donors, as the process of donating was a medical procedure for which risks increased with factors like obesity.

Mr Zaffino said he had been on the register for three years when he was overjoyed to find out he could be a potential match for a patient needing a bone marrow transplant. But he was rejected days later when he gave details about his physical condition to an adviser.

He told the Huddersfield Examiner: "I was excited at the thought I might actually save someone's life. But I was dismissed on a calculation over the phone.

He added: "When you get to the stage where you have been chosen as a potential donor, surely they could check you in a more in-depth way?"

Dr Derwood Pamphilon, medical director of the BBMR, said there had to be a balance between finding potential donors and the risks to that donor's health during the donation process.

Dr Pamphilon said a BMI higher than 30 is classed as obese but because some sportsmen can be classed as overweight or even obese due to their increased muscle, people with a BMI up to 35 can donate bone marrow provided there is no other medical reason preventing them.

He said: "However, if an individual has a BMI of 35 or over, expert advice suggests there would be greater health risks associated with becoming a bone marrow donor. They would therefore be unable to donate under most circumstances."

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