Research data on iron values provides recommendations for blood donation
Blood Service researchers have published new research information on the health of women who donate blood. Based on this information, recommendations and guidelines for blood donation have been reviewed. Blood Service is involved in several international research projects, and the results are used to continuously improve donation practices.
For example, a study by Blood Service and the Dutch blood blood centre found that menstrual bleeding was the most relevant factor behind low donor haemoglobin levels. Based on the Finnish FinDonor study data, it was observed that iron deficiency was common in young women who donated blood, but still less common than in analogue countries, or in young women who do not donate blood.
The Blood Service has renewed the guidelines for donation intervals and the issuing of iron supplements based on the study data.
“We recommend that donors who have heavy periods would not donate more than once a year to avoid iron depletion,” says Janina Forstén, physician at the Blood Service.
Procedures in place to monitor donors’ iron values
The effect of ferritin values on donor health has been a subject of lively debate from time to time and it is also an ongoing research topic. Ferritin is the storage form of iron found in the liver and bone marrow of humans. Blood ferritin measurement is used in a more detailed study of anaemia, examination of illnesses related to iron deposition and as an indirect indicator of iron stores.
Together with its Dutch research partners, the Blood Service has studied the significance of ferritin in the blood for determining the appropriate blood donation intervals. In addition, other studies by the Blood Service have revealed that donor blood ferritin levels in Finland are at an internationally good level. An international comparison of blood donor haemoglobin levels and donor deferrals shows that in Finland, special attention is paid to the iron levels of blood donors.
“However, if a donor’s ferritin level has been established to be too low in testing done due to symptoms of an illness they are experiencing, they cannot donate blood until the situation has been rectified”, Forstén emphasizes.
The starting point in Finland is that for young women, blood donation is recommended no more than once a year, for other women no more than 2 to 3 times a year, and for men no more than 3 to 4 times a year. You can only donate blood when you are healthy and feeling well. The donor’s haemoglobin level should always be measured before blood donation and the level must be sufficiently high, at least 125 g/L in women and at least 135 g/L in men. Iron supplements are offered to all female donors under the age of 50 and to others as needed.
Genetics and machine learning to provide assistance in the future
In the future, the impact of genetic factors will also be an interesting area of research. An example of this is the globally unique genomic data collected in the Blood Service’s biobank based on the FinnGen study.
“The study has been the first to investigate the genetic background of iron deficiency anaemia in the world and it has been discovered that genomic data could be useful in the future in providing guidelines for an individual’s blood donation interval,” says Mikko Arvas, Senior Scientist at the Blood Service.
However, plenty of further research is still needed on the topic. Researchers are hoping that active international research collaboration will finally result in theoretical models of individual donation intervals.
Research sources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vox.13639 “Iron status in Dutch and Finnish blood donor and general populations: A cross-cohort comparison study”
https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aogs.14890 ”Menstrual blood loss is an independent determinant of hemoglobin and ferritin levels in premenopausal blood donors”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/vox.13515 ”Simulated effects of ferritin screening on C-reactive protein levels in recruited blood donors”
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmrv.2024.150860 : “Blood donor iron management across Europe: experiences and challenges in four blood establishments”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vox.13564 “The value of genetic data from 665,460 individuals in managing iron deficiency anaemia and suitability to donate blood”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/vox.13223 “Prediction and impact of personalized donation intervals”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vox.13517 “The added value of ferritin levels and genetic markers for the prediction of haemoglobin deferral”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vox.13426 ”An international comparison of haemoglobin deferral prediction models for blood banking” ja
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vox.13643 “Predicting haemoglobin deferral using machine learning models: Can we use the same prediction model across countries?”
