Analysis Of Blood Donor Deferral Causes In Chennai, India

Introduction: Blood donors are deferred from donating blood for several reasons. A shortage of safe blood donors is frequent and it is important to understand the causes of deferral of potential donors. Efforts to ensure donor and recipient safety have reduced the population of eligible voluntary blood donors. Aims and Objectives: The objective of our study is to evaluate the rate and major reasons of blood donor deferrals in our center. Material and methods: A retrospective study was done during 2007-2009 on the donors who came forward for donation. Donor eligibility criteria were followed according to the National guidelines for blood donation. Donors who were deferred were analyzed according to their age, sex and reason for deferral. Results: Of the 10,440 donors, 1180 (11.16%) donors were deferred. Low hemoglobin was the most common cause of donor deferral which was found in 438 (37.11%) donors followed by high blood pressure found in 259 (21.94%) donors. More number of female donors was deferred as compared to males. The deferral rate increases as the age increases. Conclusion: A deferral study in blood donors may shed light on the health status of the general population which may affect the blood supply. Risk factors and marker rates derived from the donor pool may be useful to gain insights regarding public health issues. Most of temporary deferral donors will return for donation in future. It is important to provide donors with a clear message on their deferral status. Deferrals for whatever reason represent loss of time and effort for both potential donors and blood bank staff.