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A prospective study of blood donations in healthy elderly persons
P J Garry1, D J VanderJagt, S J Wayne
1Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque.
Insights
Healthy elderly blood donors experienced significant iron depletion after donating five units over one year. Increased iron absorption was insufficient to offset losses, suggesting donation limits or iron supplementation for this age group.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Hematology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Elderly individuals are a potential donor pool for blood resources.
- Understanding the impact of blood donation on iron stores in older adults is crucial for donor safety and blood supply sustainability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effect of regular blood donation on iron stores in healthy elderly individuals.
- To determine if dietary iron intake is sufficient to maintain iron balance in elderly donors.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 57 healthy elderly volunteers (63-77 years) who donated blood over one year.
- Comparison group of nondonors matched for frequency of visits and iron status measurements.
- Monitoring of iron stores, iron intake, and iron absorption rates before and after donations.
Main Results:
- Mean iron stores significantly decreased in both women (724 to 67 mg) and men (875 to 362 mg) after five donations.
- 15% of women and 10% of men developed iron deficiency; 7% of women developed iron deficiency anemia.
- Despite adequate iron intake for nondonors, elderly donors showed increased iron absorption (5% to 14%) but still experienced iron depletion.
Conclusions:
- Regular blood donation can lead to significant iron depletion in healthy elderly individuals.
- Current dietary iron intake is insufficient to compensate for iron losses from frequent donations in this population.
- Recommendations include limiting donations to fewer than five per year or regular iron supplementation for elderly donors.
Abstract:
Iron stores were observed in 57 healthy elderly volunteers, between 63 and 77 years of age, who donated 5 units of blood over approximately 1 year. An equal number of nondonors who contributed approximately 7 mL of blood at each visit for iron status measurements only were seen at the same frequency as the donor population. At entrance to the study, iron stores in women and men averaged 724 and 875 mg, respectively. After five donations, mean iron stores dropped to 67 mg in women (n = 27) and 362 mg in men (n = 30); four women (15%) became iron deficient, while two (7%) developed iron deficiency anemia. Three men (10%) developed iron deficiency, but none were found to be anemic. Mean intakes of iron were 23.3 and 22.5 mg per day, respectively, for women and men. Iron intakes were adequate to meet iron requirements of nondonors, but they were not sufficient to halt the steady decrease in iron stores among the donor population, in whom iron absorption increased from approximately 5 percent at entrance to 14 percent at the time of the fifth donation. In summary, healthy elderly persons may contribute to the national blood resource; however, donations should probably be limited to less than five per year or donors should regularly take an iron supplement to preserve reasonable amounts of iron reserves.