Donor knowledge and perceptions regarding donation-induced iron depletion and iron supplementation as a blood service policy.

Background And Objectives: Regular whole blood donations are associated with an increased risk of iron deficiency. Iron supplementation is an effective strategy to prevent donation-induced iron deficiency. However, research on donor perceptions towards such a policy is limited.

Menstrual blood loss is an independent determinant of hemoglobin and ferritin levels in premenopausal blood donors.

Introduction: To prevent blood donors from developing iron deficiency (ferritin <15 μg/L) and subsequent anemia (hemoglobin <120 g/L), blood services rely on information about known risk factors, including the donor's sex and age. For example, while Finnish women are able to donate whole blood with a minimum donation interval of 91 days, women in the 18 to 25-year-old age group are recommended to donate no more than once per year. Menstrual blood loss is not accounted for in blood donation interval recommendations, despite being a known risk factor of iron deficiency.

Iron status in Dutch and Finnish blood donor and general populations: A cross-cohort comparison study.

Background And Objectives: Blood donors are at risk of developing iron deficiency (ID) (ferritin <15 μg/L, World Health Organization definition). Blood services implement different strategies to mitigate this risk. Although in Finland risk group-based iron supplementation is in place, no iron supplementation is provided in the Netherlands.

Iron supplementation: A qualitative study on the perception of blood donors, blood collection staff and donor physicians.

Background And Objectives: Iron supplementation is an effective strategy to mitigate donation-induced iron deficiency in blood donors. However, evidence on the perception of individuals involved in blood donation on iron supplementation as a blood service policy is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and perception of whole blood donors (donors), blood collection staff (collection staff) and donor physicians (physicians) regarding donation-induced iron loss and iron supplementation.

Ferritin-guided iron supplementation in whole blood donors: optimal dosage, donor response, return and efficacy (FORTE)-a randomised controlled trial protocol.

Background: Frequent whole blood donors have an increased risk of developing iron deficiency. Iron deficiency can have detrimental health effects when left untreated. Donation intervals are commonly too short to replenish iron stores and extending these reduces donor availability.

Low SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in blood donors in the early COVID-19 epidemic in the Netherlands.

The world is combating an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with health-care systems, society and economies impacted in an unprecedented way. It is unclear how many people have contracted the causative coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) unknowingly and are asymptomatic. Therefore, reported COVID-19 cases do not reflect the true scale of outbreak.