ABSTRACT
A high number of blood donations may cause iron depletion. In order to evaluate iron stores in volunteer Thai blood donors, 82 male and 72 female donors were studied. All were tested for serum ferritin (SF), hemoglobin (Hb) level and asked for detailed histories of donations and iron supplementation. Mean SF in first-time donors was 161.12 ng/mL in men (n = 16) and 53.92 ng/mL in women (n = 23). Mean SF in multiple-time donors was 52.72 ng/mL in men (n = 66) and 25.72 ng/mL in women (n = 49). Depleted iron stores (SF < or = 15 ng/mL) were found in 8.7 per cent of first-time female donors, 21.21 per cent and 32.65 per cent of multiple-time male and female donors, respectively. The mean numbers of total donation were 51.42 +/- 30.8 in men and 8.22 +/- 6.97 in women. The estimation of depleted iron stores from Hb level could be determined in 57.14 per cent of male and 88.89 per cent of female donors. In conclusion, iron supplementation will benefit female donors and multiple-time male donors. The frequency of donations per year was more predictive of decreased iron stores than the number of total donations.