Frequent platelet donation is associated with lymphopenia and risk of infections: A nationwide cohort study

Recently, plateletpheresis donations using a widely used leukoreduction system (LRS) chamber have been associated with T-cell lymphopenia. However, clinical health consequences of plateletpheresis-associated lymphopenia are still unknown.

A nationwide cohort study using the SCANDAT3-S database was conducted with all platelet- and plasmapheresis donors in Sweden between 1996 and 2017. A Cox proportional hazards model, using donations as time-dependent exposures, was used to assess the risk of infections associated with plateletpheresis donations using an LRS chamber.

A total of 74 408 apheresis donors were included. Among donors with the same donation frequency, plateletpheresis donors using an LRS chamber were at an increased risk of immunosuppression-related infections and common bacterial infections in a dose-dependent manner. While very frequent donors and infections were rare in absolute terms resulting in wide confidence intervals (CIs), the increased risk was significant starting at one-third or less of the allowed donation frequency in a 10-year exposure window, with hazard ratios reaching 10 or more. No plateletpheresis donors that used an LRS chamber experienced a Pneumocystis jirovecii, aspergillus, disseminated mycobacterial, or cryptococcal infection. In a subcohort (n = 42), donations with LRS were associated with low CD4+ T-cell counts (Pearson's R = -0.41; 95% CI, - 0.63 to -0.12).

Frequent plateletpheresis donation using an LRS chamber was associated with CD4+ T-cell lymphopenia and an increased risk of infections. These findings suggest a need to monitor T-lymphocyte counts in frequent platelet donors and to conduct future investigations of long-term donor health and for regulators to consider steps to mitigate lymphodepletion in donors.