Eager blood donor

J Patient Saf. 2009 Jun;5(2):67-8. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0b013e3181a5d99e.

Abstract

Blood donor questionnaire is an integral component of blood safety, designed to identify and disqualify donors who do not fit certain criteria. One of the criteria is the time interval between 2 consecutive donations because repeated blood donors are exposed to adverse effects of frequent donations. We describe a 19-year-old healthy Israeli Defense Forces male soldier who has been detected by the Israeli National Blood Services only after his fifth voluntary blood donation within 12 weeks. The soldier was asymptomatic, yet blood examination revealed iron deficiency anemia with a low ferritin level. This case demonstrates the limitations of blood donation processing, which fortunately ended with no substantial morbidity. We discuss the possible obstacles in that process.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / blood
  • Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / etiology*
  • Blood Donors* / psychology
  • Donor Selection
  • Ferritins / blood
  • Hemoglobins / analysis
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Hemoglobins
  • Ferritins