Reticulocyte hemoglobin: A useful tool for detecting rampant iron-deficient state in regular female blood donors.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

Regular blood donors are at risk of developing Latent Iron Deficiency (LID), most commonly seen in female blood donors. Although female blood donors outnumber males in some populations, latent iron deficiency may limit the ability of young females to donate regularly. Current blood donor selection guidelines only screen for pre-donation hemoglobin levels, potentially missing those with LID, which leads to overt iron deficiency later. The gold standard for diagnosing LID is serum transferrin receptor level (sTfR). However, it may not be practical as a screening tool due to its high cost. Therefore, the present study aimed to find the utility of Reticulocyte Hemoglobin (Ret-He) in detecting LID and compare it with serum ferritin among regular female blood donors.

METHODS

The study included 161 female regular blood donors who consented to participate in the study. Subjects were divided into two groups- LID and non-LID based on sTfR levels. Ret-He and Serum ferritin levels were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The study found 37.25 % of LID donors among regular female blood donors. Donors with LID had significantly lower mean Ret-He levels (25.6 ± 1.54 pg/dL) than non-LID donors (27.9 ± 1.49 pg/dL). Also, Ret-He had higher sensitivity (83.3 %) and specificity (85.1 %) than serum ferritin.

CONCLUSION

LID is highly prevalent among regular female blood donors. Ret-He can be used as a screening tool for iron status in female regular blood donors, thus preventing overt iron deficiency due to donation.