Hi!
I went to the Blood bank at my local hospital and asked them about it. It has been and still is a big issue for me all things about organ donations. I asked if a person with an autoimmune disease (such as Sjogrens syndrome) could be a donor, and I got a very claet no to that question. The reason is that not only does it have to do with blood, but to transplant a kidney in example, might transfer something to the recipient. If the recipient has some genetics or other risk factors of developing different diseaes, they might ocur after transplantation, because they also need to use immunesupresiva after receiving an organ. I also talket about this with a doctor later, and he also said: "no you can never be a donor. That goes for both blood and organs."
Even though I'm a bit sad about it, I find it ok too. Knowing my health issues and health history, I don't want anyone to get one of my organs if that might trigger a disease with them because of my transplanted organ I gave away and the recipient using immunesuppressiva.
When it comes to eyes, I'm not sure about it. It is all part of the body. But I never asked spesific about parts of the eyes that is a possible transplant so I don't know the answer there.
But blood, bonemarrow and organs, is not possible to take from a person with an autoimmune disease in Norway. I don't know how it is other places.
But it makes perfect sense to me. It is way too risky to put an already sick person who need a new organ through receiving an organ from a person with an AI disease. I would not like to know that if I gave away my kidney, or if they took something else if I died suddenly, it would be a high risk for the recipient to get things in their body trigged and maybe develop an AI disease after the transplant because of my organ/bloo or whatever.
Rania
