CFS Patients Shouldn't Donate Blood, FDA Advisers Say in Vote

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By Rob Waters - Dec 15, 2010 1:32 AM GMT+0100

Chronic Fatigue Patients

Shouldn't Donate Blood,

FDA Advisers Say in Vote

People with chronic fatigue syndrome shouldn't

donate blood until health officials complete a review

into whether the disorder is tied to an infectious

agent that might spread to recipients, U.S. advisers

said.

The Washington-based American Red Cross, the

nation's largest supplier of blood products,

announced Dec. 3 that it won't accept blood from

potential donors diagnosed with the syndrome. Some

studies have found that a virus called XMRV may be

linked to the condition.

More than 1 million Americans have chronic fatigue

syndrome, which leaves people exhausted and can

cause joint and muscle pain, according to the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in

Atlanta.

A panel of experts convened by the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration voted 9-4 today in

Gaithersburg, land, that the scientific

evidence supports rejecting donations from

people with the illness, Burgess, a

spokeswoman for the agency, said in an e-mail.

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To contact the reporter on this story: Rob Waters in

San Francisco at rwaters5@....

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg

Gale at rgale5@....