Impact of Regular Blood Donation on Body Iron Stores at Saudi Blood Donors

Name: Mohammed Qassadi

Name: Saleh Mohammed Abdullah

College of Nursing and Health Sciences,
Jazan University, Jazan,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Email: modatheeb@gmail.com

Impact of Regular Blood Donation on Body Iron Stores at Saudi Blood Donors

Abstract
Chronic iron insufficiency is a common observation in long-term blood donors, and it can lead to anaemia. Iron-status markers are not often included in the majority of blood screening procedures used by blood banks, which could lead to subclinical iron deficiency. This study aimed to assess the impact of repeated blood donation on the body’s iron levels and provide recommendations to blood donors on how to avoid the body’s iron reserves being depleted. Techniques: The association between the iron levels in these groups and their bodies was investigated after regular blood donors were divided into discrete groups based on the quantity of blood they donated. Serum ferritin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and serum iron were among the characteristics used to determine iron deficiency and iron depletion in blood donors. Findings: A total of 300 consenting and frequent blood donors were involved in the study. Among individuals giving blood for the first time, there were no occurrences of iron inadequacy (Group I). However, 15.5% of those who had given once before (Group II) had ferritin levels of 15 – 30 μg/dl (ng/ml), indicating lower iron reserves. The percentage among regular blood donors (Groups III, IV, and V) rose to 18% (37 out of 206 individuals). In Groups III, IV, and V, the prevalence of iron deficiency (depletion) was 5.9% (12 out of 206) and 50.4% (100 out of 206) among frequent blood donors. The blood donors with the lowest levels of haematological indicators MCH, MCHC, and TIBC were the most often donated blood donors. When comparing the donor groups with the control group (Group I) based on the frequency of donations, provide the p-values indicating the differences between the means of MCV, MCH, iron, TIBC, and ferritin levels. Declare differences that are statistically significant when the p-value is less than 0.0125 (Abdullah, 2011). The Bonferroni procedure is used to alter this significant level while taking into account several independent tests. The outcome indicates that there may have been a statistically significant variation in the iron levels between these donor groups based on the comparison of the Iron Parameter between Group I and Group III and Group I and Group IV. In summary: According to the study’s findings, one out of every three healthy donors will experience erythropoiesis with iron insufficiency as a result of depleted iron storage, which is more common in higher donation frequencies. Group 1 (Control group) had iron and ferritin concentrations within the normal range, however the other four groups (G-2 to G-5) had lower concentrations. The hemoglobin level, however, stayed within a range that is suitable for blood donation. This result implies that reevaluating the requirements for acceptance may be essential. Significant differences were seen between the five groups (G-1 to G-5) when the average serum ferritin levels were analyzed for both males and females. According to this study, 35% of those who routinely give blood suffer with sideropenia, or iron-deficient anemia. This implies that serum ferritin testing must to be done sooner rather than later, ideally following three donors (Norashikin et al., 2006).

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