Iron deficiency in regular blood donors in Enugu (Southeastern Nigeria)

Abstract

Aims: Regular donors are often given some sort of non-monetary recognition. In Nigeria, about 92.9% of individuals donate blood because of the benefits they get from hospital. The aim was to study iron status of regular blood donors who had donated at least one or two units of blood in their life. Methods: The study was prospectively conducted on 290 regular blood donors. The blood donors were divided into four groups, according to the number of units of blood they had given. Results: The difference in serum ferritin concentration of first group (208.35±60.62 ng/mL) was statistically significant (p < 0.05) compared with donors in third group (34.20±21.89 ng/mL) and fourth group (2.05±0.22 ng/mL). None of the first group donors suffered from iron deficiency, whereas 11% of the donors who had donated between 11–15 units of blood within a 4-year period had iron deficiency. Conclusion: The results of this study reveal the presence of iron deficiency in second group, third group and fourth group.