Iron status of blood donors

Abstract

Purpose of reviewThis review examines recent research on the prevalence and importance of iron deficiency in blood donors, and on efforts to mitigate it. Recent findingsPremenopausal females, teenagers, and high-frequency donors are at the highest risk for donation-induced iron deficiency, in both high-resource and low-resource settings. The physiology relating iron stores to hemoglobin levels and low hemoglobin deferral is well elucidated in blood donor populations, yet the clinical effects attributable to iron loss in the absence of anemia are challenging to identify. Expanded adoption of ferritin testing is improving donor management but may cause decreases in the blood supply from temporary donor loss. The potential for personalized donor management is emerging with development of computational models that predict individual interdonation intervals that aim to optimize blood collected from each donor while minimizing low hemoglobin deferrals. SummaryMeasures to reduce iron deficiency are available that can be deployed on a standardized or, increasingly, personalized basis. Blood centers, regulators, and donors should continue to evaluate different tactics for addressing this problem, to obtain a balanced approach that is optimal for maintaining adequate collections while safeguarding donor health.

A rapid review of strategies to manage low iron levels in adults donating whole‐blood: A focus on donor behaviour

“…Studies have typically focused on clinical outcomes, such as changes in iron stores, in controlled research environments. [5][6][7] However, this review shows that there is a need for more donor-focused research to ensure that BCAs can meet the AABB recommendation to limit the impact of blood donation on body iron stores.…”

“…Recent reviews have documented the impact of iron management strategies on body iron stores. [5][6][7] However, the effectiveness of these strategies is dependent on donors. 8 As blood donation remains a voluntary (and often non-remunerated) act, a donor's knowledge, acceptance and motivation to engage with these strategies are key to ensuring a safe and stable blood supply.…”

Prevalence of Iron Deficiency, Anemia, and Associated Factors in a Blood Donor Population in Brazzaville, Congo

“…Tis prevention is based, on the one hand, on the postponement of donors whose Hb level is below a regulatory threshold and, on the other hand, on the prevention of iron defciency. Several measures can be used: the increase in the minimum interval between two total blood donations and/or the reduction in the maximum annual frequency of donations; the assay of serum ferritin measuring iron reserves and fnally donor iron supplementation [2,17,18,[20][21][22]. In France, after modeling diferent scenarios measuring the loss of donations, it was decided to opt for a ferritinemia strategy directed at groups at risk of iron defciency with postponement of 6 months if ferritinemia Anemia <15 ng/ml and spacing of donations if between 15 and 25 ng/ ml [17].…”

Hemoglobin examination to improvement awareness blood donation on cadres at rw 05 Patangpuluhan, Wirobrajan, Yogyakarta

“…Hemoglobin screening has a dual purpose, namely to ensure that blood donors are safe from anemia or hemoglobin deficiency and resulting blood products are safe to be transfused [5], [6]. Hemoglobin level correlation with to improving iron balance in blood donation [7], [3].…”