Scholarlink

Introduction <p>The current observational cross-sectional study examined the impact of repeated whole blood donations on iron status in Saudi male donors. Frequent donors are vital for maintaining blood supplies, but each donation can lead to significant iron loss (up to 250&#xa0;mg). The 56-day inter-donation interval may not allow sufficient iron replenishment, potentially causing iron deficiency or anemia. Understanding iron metabolism in frequent donors is essential for optimizing donors’ health and a sustainable blood supply.</p> Methods <p>This study enrolled 236 healthy male volunteers, divided into first-time (FT, <i>n</i> = 63), reactivated (RA, <i>n</i> = 71), and frequent donor groups (7, <i>n</i> = 37; 8, <i>n</i> = 24; 9, <i>n</i> = 13; ≥10, <i>n</i> = 28 donations in three years). Blood samples were analyzed for complete blood count, reticulocyte indices, serum ferritin (SF), iron markers, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and serum hepcidin (SH).</p> Results <p>Frequent donors (≥ 7 donations) exhibited significantly lower hemoglobin (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01) and hematocrit (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) levels compared to FT donors. Notably, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and hemoglobin (MCH) were reduced in donors with &gt; 8 donations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). Reticulocyte hemoglobin content (MCHr) decreased significantly after 8 donations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) and further after 10 donations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Serum iron (SI) and SF levels dropped markedly in frequent donors (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001), while total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) and unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC) increased (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Transferrin saturation (TS%) was significantly lower after 7–10 + donations (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). Serum hepcidin levels increased after 8 donations but were not statistically significant.</p> Conclusions <p>Based on our findings, it can be concluded that frequent blood donations (≥ 7 times) significantly impact iron stores, as shown by reductions in SI, SF, and TS%. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small and uneven subgroup sizes, particularly among the highest-frequency donors, and further research is needed to validate their reliability in larger cohorts.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Impact of Frequent Blood Donations on Red Blood Cell Indices, Reticulocyte Parameters, and Iron Metabolism

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月27日

查看全文
  • Abdullah Aljedai,
  • Saeed Mubarak S. Aldosari,
  • Abdulrahman Alshalani,
  • Khalid A. Batarfi,
  • Waleed Tamimi,
  • Mourad A. M. Aboul-Soud

摘要

Introduction

The current observational cross-sectional study examined the impact of repeated whole blood donations on iron status in Saudi male donors. Frequent donors are vital for maintaining blood supplies, but each donation can lead to significant iron loss (up to 250 mg). The 56-day inter-donation interval may not allow sufficient iron replenishment, potentially causing iron deficiency or anemia. Understanding iron metabolism in frequent donors is essential for optimizing donors’ health and a sustainable blood supply.

Methods

This study enrolled 236 healthy male volunteers, divided into first-time (FT, n = 63), reactivated (RA, n = 71), and frequent donor groups (7, n = 37; 8, n = 24; 9, n = 13; ≥10, n = 28 donations in three years). Blood samples were analyzed for complete blood count, reticulocyte indices, serum ferritin (SF), iron markers, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and serum hepcidin (SH).

Results

Frequent donors (≥ 7 donations) exhibited significantly lower hemoglobin (P < 0.01) and hematocrit (P < 0.05) levels compared to FT donors. Notably, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and hemoglobin (MCH) were reduced in donors with > 8 donations (P < 0.01). Reticulocyte hemoglobin content (MCHr) decreased significantly after 8 donations (P < 0.05) and further after 10 donations (P < 0.001). Serum iron (SI) and SF levels dropped markedly in frequent donors (P < 0.001), while total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) and unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC) increased (P < 0.001). Transferrin saturation (TS%) was significantly lower after 7–10 + donations (P < 0.01). Serum hepcidin levels increased after 8 donations but were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Based on our findings, it can be concluded that frequent blood donations (≥ 7 times) significantly impact iron stores, as shown by reductions in SI, SF, and TS%. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small and uneven subgroup sizes, particularly among the highest-frequency donors, and further research is needed to validate their reliability in larger cohorts.