Eligibility to register

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma.

DKMS provides patients with a second chance at life, working closely with their families from diagnosis to transplant and beyond. The donor journey begins with a swab of the cheek that takes two minutes and can be the action that leads to a lifesaving transplant.

Basic eligibility criteria to join the register

• aged between 17 (minimum age) – 55 (maximum age)
• in general good health
• Body Mass Index (BMI) under 40
• not already registered on another bone marrow registry - you only need to be on one:
  • Anthony Nolan
  • British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR)
  • Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (WBMDR)
• UK resident at a permanent address for two years minimum
• haven’t recently requested a swab online from DKMS.

Health conditions you can register with

You can register if the following criteria apply to you:

• enlarged thyroid or underactive thyroid
• thyroid (hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis stable and symptom-free. NOT Graves’ disease
• iron-deficiency anaemia, if treatable with iron supplement
• hay fever, mild asthma, food allergy
• basalioma and cervical carcinoma in situ, if fully removed
• unipolar depression, mild depression, without any limitations in daily life; no previous manic episodes
• high blood pressure, stable and well-controlled.

Health conditions you cannot register with

You will not be able to register if you have any of the following conditions:

• severe heart, lung or kidney diseases
• severe illnesses of the central nervous system
• severe mental health conditions
• severe metabolic diseases
• addictions: alcohol, drugs, tablets
• severe tropical infectious diseases
• infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, syphilis
• systemic autoimmune diseases or other severe chronic illnesses, e.g. diabetes or rheumatism
• cancer, including being cancer-free, but having had cancer in the past
• diseases of the haematopoietic system (blood disorders).