Contemplating the effect on blood availability if the interdonation interval of 56 days is prolonged

摘要

A seminal article, published in 1977, by investigators from the Division of Hematology at the University of Washington in Seattle, used serum ferritin determinations to evaluate the iron stores of blood donors at the Puget Sound Blood Center.1 The study provided significant insight into iron balance showing how it was influenced by sex, age, and frequency of donation. The investigators concluded that iron deficiency, as measured by a ferritin value less than 12 |i.g/L, was a risk for men donating more than 2 or 3 units a year and for women donating 1 or 2. In their discussion, the authors contemplated the value of ferritin determinations to identify blood donors with reduced iron stores for whom donation, despite hemoglobin (Hb) levels above the qualification threshold, would be likely to provoke iron deficiency. They went on to suggest that future studies investigating the value of supplemental iron in blood donors would be valuable.