Analysis of donor-deferral pattern in a voluntary blood donor population

A retrospective analysis of records of the deferred donors from 1 October 1992 to 31 December 1993 was performed. Of 14,269 prospective blood donors (13,030 males and 1,239 females), 2,431 (16.4%) donors were disqualified for various reasons: 8.1% of the donors were deferred for non-pathological causes while 91.9% were deferred for medical reasons. The most common cause for non-pathological deferral was volunteers attending below the minimum acceptable age (5.2%). Abnormal findings on physical examination accounted for 57.2% of the deferrals in which low body weight was the most common finding (32.3%) followed by low Hb (18.6%). A past history of jaundice was the leading cause for deferral on medical interview. Numerous prospective donors are currently being deferred based on empirically derived criteria. By developing strategies to identify and rationalize donor selection criteria, the blood transfusion services should be able to decrease unnecessary deferrals.