[Serum iron in blood donors]

We accept blood donations from many people daily. It is important to clarify levels of serum iron (SI) in blood donors. We measured SI in 62,054 blood donors (37,989 male and 24,065 female) between 16 and 64 years of age. SI was 108.2 +/- 39.5 micrograms/dl in males and 88.5 +/- 35.7 micrograms/dl in female. SI did not differ significantly with age in females, although it is slightly lower in women aged < or = 19 than in women aged < or = 20 years. In men, SI decreased with age from 20 to 64 years old, although the course of the decrease is not clear. These data should be of use to blood programme.