Determinants of iron deficiency among blood donors: a cross-sectional study in a teaching hospital

Regular blood donation may be related with iron depletion, particularly in areas where anaemia remains endemic. This study assessed iron depletion among donors in a Teaching Hospital. This was a cross-sectional study at the Zonal Blood Centre, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana from 10th June, 2022 to 15th October, 2022. Five millilitres of blood were collected for full blood count using haematology analyzer, C-reactive protein, and serum ferritin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Socio-demographics were obtained using questionnaire. The 252 voluntary blood donors included in this study were predominantly males (68.3%), with a median age of 28 (24–31) years. Repeat donors had lower RBC, Hb, HCT, and serum ferritin levels than first-time donors. Anaemia was present in 18.7% of the donors, and the anaemia was more common in repeat donors compared with first-time donors (22.3% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.039). 40.1% of the donors had ferritin levels < 30 ng/mL, 14.7% had iron deficiency (ferritin < 15 ng/mL), and 9.5% had iron deficiency anaemia. Low ferritin level was common in repeat donors than first-time donors (18.1% vs. 8.1%). Anaemia, depleted iron stores, and iron deficiency anaemia occurred more in females compared to the male donors. Males who had donated blood three or more times were 5.333 times more likely to experience low iron store than their counterparts with few numbers of donations. Blood donors with ferritin levels < 15.0 ng/mL had relatively lower haemoglobin compared to those with ferritin ≥ 15 ng/mL. However, haemoglobin was not different between participants with ferritin 15–30 ng/mL and those with ferritin above 30 ng/mL. This study elucidates the high prevalence of low ferritin levels among repeat blood donors. Donating three or more times within two years may predispose donors to low iron stores. Extensive measures such as periodic assessment of iron status and strict adherence to inter-donation intervals are recommended to protect the few available blood donor pools.