TABLE 5.

Estimated number of donors and deferrals in the United States, 2017 (expressed in thousands)^*

	2017				% of total deferrals
	Males	Females	Total (95% CI)	Total, 2015	2017	2015	% change 2017–2015
Donor deferrals
Low hemoglobin/hematocrit†	208	907	1115 (1051–1179)	975	43.8	51.7	14.3
Prescription drug use	28	28	56 (49–62)	54	2.2	2.9	3.1
Pulse and/or blood pressure	134	154	288 (261–315)		11.3
Other medical reasons‡	203	319	523 (442–603)	504	20.5	26.7	3.7
High-risk behavior, MSM only§	6	0	6 (5–7)	8	0.2	0.4	−25.8
High-risk behavior, all other behaviors	11	9	20 (18–23)	16	0.8	0.9	27.6
Travel∥	56	58	114 (103–124)	113	4.5	6	0.7
Tattoo/piercing	19	42	61 (55–67)	49	2.4	2.6	25.1
Other non-medical reasons	125	176	301 (264–338)	166	11.8	8.8	81.4
Total deferrals	862	1683	2544 (2373–2716)	1886
Total presenting to donate	7099	6919	14,018 (13,132–14,903)	15,111¶

^*Excludes directed and autologous donors.

^†Donors deferred for low hemoglobin included those that do not meet the current FDA blood hemoglobin level requirements for blood donation.

^‡Other medical reasons may include the use of medications on the medication deferral list, growth hormone from human pituitary glands, Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG), unlicensed vaccines, or presenting with physical conditions or symptoms that do not qualify a person to be a blood donor.

^§High-risk behavior deferrals include deferrals intended to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases including HIV and hepatitis viruses. Examples of questions intended to identify these risks are sexual contact (men who have sex with men [MSM]) and non-medical injection drug use questions.

^∥Travel deferrals are deferrals for travel to a specific region of the world.

^¶Total presenting to donate in 2015⁵ excluded total deferrals and is corrected here to be consistent with the 2013 and 2017 estimates.