Analyzing the Causes of Blood Donor Deferrals and Characteristics of Deffered Individuals in Kurdistan Province, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Donor recruitment is an essential step in blood banking. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate donor deferral rate, causes of deferrals, and characteristics of deferred individuals in Kurdistan province located in west of Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Kurdistan Blood Transfusion Center from 2010 to 2015. A total of 175845 donors were selected to be screened. They were physically examined and detailed interviews were conducted with all the donors. In addition, standard operating procedures (SOPs) were used for donor selection and deferral. Results: According to the obtained results, the deferral rate was 14.55% (25586 out of 175845). The top 7 deferral reasons included the use of certain medications (n=3996, 15.6%), abnormal blood pressure (n=2311, 9.03%), polycythemia (n=2177, 8.5%), risky behaviors (n=1848, 7.2%), previous donation in the last 3 months (n=1512, 5.9%), history of repeatedly reactive tests for infectious agents (n=1334, 5.21%), and anemia (n=1243, 4.85%). Meanwhile, the overall rate of deferral was higher in donors <35 years old (P<0.001), females (P<0.001), firsttime donors (P<0.001), unmarried (P<0.001), and less than 12 years of schooling (P<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the main reason for deferral was related to medications. Therefore, public education regarding health requirements of blood donors can be effective in reducing the number of deferrals.

Keywords

• Blood donation
• Deferral reasons
• Blood donors