Insights into Blood Donors’ Iron Status: Current Practices and Future Directions

Background: A well organised and properly planned blood transfusion service (BTS) is a crucial component of health care system. According to Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940, in India, the minimum acceptable hemoglobin level for blood donation is 12.5 g/dl. Approximately 10% donors are deferred from donation for their low hemoglobin concentration. Regular long term donation is one of the important causes for iron deficiency. The pre-donation iron levels help to address and prevent iron depletion state among the donors. We sought to estimate serum ferritin levels among the voluntary blood donors and its effects on iron pool due to regular donations in our blood centre. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of 6 months from January 2024 to June 2024 in the blood collection centre. 110 voluntary blood donors were selected after appropriate counseling. Pre-donation hematological profile was checked; those with satisfactory values were taken for donation. Simultaneously tested for serum ferritin, and then they were divided into four groups based on the serum ferritin for further analysis. Result: The donors were between 19–49 years of age. Out of which 10 (9%) were females and 100 (91%) were males donors. 13 (11.8%) donors were having iron deficient state. The mean Hb concentration, MCV, and MCH of donors in group I, group II, group III, and group IV were statistically significant with p-value 0.011, 0.033, and <0.001 respectively. Conclusion: There was significant correlation between red cell indices and serum ferritin levels; thus, serum ferritin levels.