ArticleTransfusion2020
First results of a ferritin-based blood donor deferral policy in the Netherlands.
Article in Transfusion, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Boosting Blood Donations Through Facebook Engagement: Randomized Controlled Field Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Comparison of four methods to measure haemoglobin concentrations in whole blood donors (COMPARE): A diagnostic accuracy study.Transfusion medicine (Oxford, England) · 2021Trial
- Article
- Latent iron deficiency as a silent driver of donor attrition in high-frequency plateletpheresis donors: a longitudinal cohort study.Annals of hematology · 2026Article
- Perceptions of deferred blood donors regarding false-positive screening results for infectious diseases and European blood establishment strategies.Vox sanguinis · 2025Article
- Blood donor populations reveal a clear association between ferritin and change in haemoglobin levels.British journal of haematology · 2025Article
- Exploring the experiences of hemochromatosis (HHC) patients who undergo therapeutic venesection at a blood collection agency.Transfusion · 2025Article
- Evaluating utility of routine ferritin testing in blood donors: A hospital-based blood donor centre experience.Transfusion medicine (Oxford, England) · 2024Article
- Anti-PD-1 Autoantibody Predicts Survival of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Atezolizumab/Bevacizumab.Gastro hep advances · 2024Article
- A reference interval study of ferritin and transferrin levels in donors from two blood centers.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2023Article
- Explainable haemoglobin deferral predictions using machine learning models: Interpretation and consequences for the blood supply.Vox sanguinis · 2022Article
- The effectiveness of iron education through a mobile application on donor return after deferral for low hemoglobin.Blood transfusion = Trasfusione del sangue · 2022Article
- Ferritin Trajectories over Repeated Whole Blood Donations: Results from the FIND+ Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Whole blood donor behavior and availability after deferral: Consequences of a new ferritin monitoring policy.Transfusion · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWhole blood donors are at risk of becoming iron deficient. To monitor iron stores, Sanquin implemented a new deferral policy based on ferritin levels, in addition to the traditional hemoglobin measurements.
methodsFerritin levels are determined in every fifth donation, as well as in all first-time donors. Donors with ferritin levels <15 ng/mL (WHO threshold) are deferred for 12 months; those ≥15 and ≤30 ng/mL for 6 months. The first results were analyzed and are presented here.
resultsThe results show that 25% of women (N = 20151, 95% CI 24%-25%) and 1.6% of men (N = 10391, 95% CI 1.4%-1.8%) have ferritin levels ≤30 ng/mL at their first blood center visit. For repeat (non-first-time) donors, these proportions are higher: 53% of women (N = 28329, 95% CI 52%-54%) and 42% of men (N = 31089, 95% CI 41%-43%). After a 6-month deferral, in 88% of returning women (N = 3059, 95% CI 87%-89%) and 99% of returning men (N = 3736, 95% CI 98%-99%) ferritin levels were ≥15 ng/mL. After a 12-month deferral, in 74% of returning women (N = 486, 95% CI 70%-78%) and 95% of returning men (N = 479, 95% CI 94%-97%) ferritin levels increased to ≥15 ng/mL.
conclusionDeferral of donors whose pre-donation ferritin levels were ≤30 ng/mL might prevent donors from returning with ferritin levels <15 ng/mL. This policy is promising to mitigate effects of repeated donations on iron stores.
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