Prevalence of anaemia among blood donors in eastern Morocco: The need for pre-donation haemoglobin assessment.

BACKGROUND

Anaemia remains the main cause of deferral in blood donation. However, in Morocco, pre-donation haemoglobin measurement is not systematic.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia and associated factors such as sex, age and iron deficiency among blood donors in eastern Morocco in order to improve donor management practices.

METHODS/MATERIALS: The study involved 2013 blood donors from the BRO Biobank. Blood samples were analysed using an automatic blood cell analyser for complete blood counts. Serum ferritin was measured by chemical and immunological analyser. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin levels less than 13 g/dL in men and 12 g/dL in women, according to the WHO recommendation.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of anaemia in eastern Morocco was 9.84% and it varied significantly by region. The majority of anaemic individuals were iron-deprived (88.64%). Anaemia was much higher in females (14.74%) than in males (5.46%). The highest prevalence of anaemia among females was in the age group of 18-20 years (25.2%), while among males it was in the age group of 61-65 years (18.52%).

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of anaemia among blood donors in eastern Morocco highlights the need to implement pre-donation haemoglobin assessment in donor selection guidelines and to consider optional ferritin testing for at-risk populations. Moreover, educating donors about iron deficiency and iron-rich diets is essential for sustaining donor health and eligibility.