Regular donor characteristics, inter-donation interval and the presence of subclinical anemia – A 3-year observational single-center study

Regular blood donation is one of the potential causes of iron loss in donors. Understanding the primary causes of subclinical anemia will aid in promoting the well-being of blood donors and improve the steadily diminishing donor pool. This study aims to analyze the effect of regular donations and investigate the incidences of subclinical anemia and their essential risk factors. A retrospective analytic observational study was used, from January 2016-December 2019. Demographic information was collected. Males with a hemoglobin level between 13 and 13.9 g/dL and females with a hemoglobin level between 12 and 12.9 g/dL are considered to have subclinical anemia. The data were analyzed with comparative, bivariate, and regression tests using the SPSSv25 with a significance of p-value<0.05. The study included a total of 4,629 regular voluntary blood donors. The mean age was 31.2 ± 9.87 years (17–65), and the weight was 67.96 ± 12.40 kg. The subclinical anemia of male and female subjects was 25.9 vs. 35.4. Donors with subclinical anemia were female (OR=1.567, p<.001), weight ≤ 63.5 kg (OR=1.527, p<0.001), inter-donation intervals 8-21 weeks (OR=1.447, p<0.001), previous donation hemoglobin levels ≤ 14.75 g/dL (OR=3.051, p<0.001), and several donations ≥ 6 times (OR=1.533, p<0.001). Risk of subclinical anemia was female, weight ≤ 63.5 kg, inter-donation interval 8-21 weeks, previous donation hemoglobin level ≤ 14.75 g/dL in males or ≤ 14 g/dL in females, and several donations ≥ 6 times. © 2023 Journal of Advanced Pharmacy Education & Research