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Impact of Blood Donation Frequency on the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Donors
Collince Odiwuor Ogolla1, Bernard Guyah1, Apollo O Maima2
1Department of Public Health, Maseno University, P. O. Box 3275, Maseno 40100, Kenya, maseno.ac.ke.
Background:
Regular blood donation has been associated with lower cardiovascular risk in some studies, possibly through mechanisms involving reduced iron stores and oxidative stress.
Objective:
The study investigated the association between blood donation frequency and cardiovascular risk factors among voluntary blood donors.
Methods:
The cross-sectional study examined blood donors classified into regular donors and occasional donors. Blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels were measured. Standard clinical criteria were used to determine the cardiovascular risk factors. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were analyzed to compare the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to control for possible confounding variables.
Results:
Regular donors demonstrated lower blood pressure measurements, which included systolic blood pressure of 118 ± 12 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 77 ± 8 mmHg. Donors who donated regularly demonstrated a lower BMI of 24.5 ± 3.1 kg/m2 compared to donors who donated occasionally. Regular donors showed lower rates of hypertension, 22% compared to 39%, and elevated cholesterol, 21% compared to 35%, with a statistical significance of p = 0.04. The study found no differences between the groups regarding their fasting glucose levels or diabetes rates. Regular donors had lower odds of hypertension (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.89) and elevated cholesterol (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.33-0.95), while the association with overweight/obesity did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusion:
Regular blood donation was associated with more favorable cardiovascular risk profiles among donors in this study.
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