The effect of daily low-dose iron supplements in female blood donors with depleted iron stores: Comparison with female non-donors

Abstract

Borch-Ionsen B, Halvorsen R, Stenberg V, Flesland Ø, Mowinckel P. The effect of daily low-dose iron supplements in female blood donors with depleted iron stores: comparison with female non-donors. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1993; 53: 789-791.

Female blood donors with serum ferritin ≤ 20μg1⁻¹ and haemoglobin > 120 gl⁻¹ participated in an iron supplement study with two different low-dose supplements in a period without donations. Comparable non-donors served as controls. Serum ferritin, haemoglobin and transferrin were determined. Increases in serum ferritin and in haemoglobin, and decrease in transferrin were highly significant (p < 0.01) in both donor groups. In one of the non-donor groups the increase in serum ferritin and decrease in transferrin were highly significant (p < 0.01), while in the other only transferrin changed significantly (p < 0.03). The increases in serum ferritin and haemoglobin over a 5-month period were significantly higher among donors (p < 0.001) than among non-donors. We interpret the results to mean that the donors have a more efficient iron absorption.

Key Words:

• blood donor
• Haemoglobin
• iron supplement
• serum ferritin