Characteristics of elderly blood donors

The aging of our society will result in an increased demand for blood components, but it also has the potential to produce a large group of blood donors, the elderly. To study the effects of regular donation by older persons, a randomized, controlled trial is being conducted among 244 healthy, elderly volunteers. This report focuses on the efficacy of the recruiting efforts for that study and describes the resultant population in terms of their demographics, medical status, and donation safety. Of 325 potential subjects, 18 percent were disqualified and 7 percent refused entry into the study. After medical evaluation, only 2 persons were disqualified for conditions not detected by the usual blood services screening protocols. The resultant elderly donor population (n = 244) was well-educated, middle-income, and, for the most part, married. The group reported more past and present medical conditions, past surgical procedures, and current medications than would be expected in a younger donor group. Reactions to donation were infrequent and mild. With current screening and donation procedures, blood donation by the elderly appears to be safe and practical.