Abstract
Introduction
It has been suggested that blood donation reduces risks of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, atherosclerosis, and stroke. Although there are known benefits of blood donation, the inclination of people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to donate blood is not known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine demograpic and blood biochemical profiles of regular and first-time blood donors in the Sulaimani province of North Iraq.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Sulaimani Blood Bank, during the period of April 1, 2016 to March 28, 2017, on convenient samples of 100 regular and 100 first-time blood donors. Donor particulars were obtained from blood bank records. The cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, ferritin, vitamin D3, and uric acid concentrations of blood samples were determined.
Results
The main reason for blood donation by regular blood donors was headache (45%), while for the first-timers it was to help relatives (31%). The low-density lipoprotein and ferritin concentrations were significantly (p=0.001) lower in the blood of regular donors than first-timers.
Conclusion
The study shows that regular blood donation is beneficial for the maintenance of health of donors.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Iraq, for providing technical knowledge, assistance, and facilities for this study. Special thanks to the Ministry of Higher Education of Kurdistan, Iraq, for funding this project. The authors also thank the staff of Sulaimani Blood Bank and Ria Laboratory for their assistance in the collection and processing of blood samples.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.