Serum and erythrocyte ferritin in regular blood donors

This study evaluated 217 regular blood donors, with the aim of measuring their iron stores and recording the influence of donation frequency. In the population studied, 10% of men and 15% of women showed reduced iron stores of the erythropoietic marrow (erythrocyte ferritin less than the normal range) and 64% of the population showed a latent deficiency in iron (serum ferritin values less than the reference values). An increase in donation frequency was followed by an important decrease in serum ferritin concentration. Blood haemoglobin levels were inferior to control limits in 4% of men and 15% of women, measurements of haemoglobin being the legal screening test performed at the time of donation. However, this test gives a late indication of an already established iron deficiency and should be replaced by the determination of serum ferritin in order to avoid the possible appearance of iron deficiency. Erythrocyte ferritin is another late indicator of iron depletion and hence is of little interest for the control of blood donors.