RESULTS OF IRON SUPPLEMENTATION FOR REGULAR VOLUNTARY NON-REMUNERATED BLOOD DONORS AT NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEMATOLOGY AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION
Authors: Nguyễn Hảo , Ha Hà Hữu Nguyện , Khanh Bạch Quốc Khánh , Bui Bùi Thị Mai An , Tran Trần Ngọc Quế 
Published: December 2023

Objective: To evaluate the results of iron supplementation for RRVBD at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT). Subjects and methods: Including 279 RRVBD with serum ferritin below 26 ng/ml taking iron tablets containing 35 mg of elemental iron. Methods: Cross-sectional description, prospective study. Results: The average age of RRVBD taking iron tablets is 27.8 years old, the average number of blood donations is 11 times, the average time of re-testing is 169.5 days. The proportion of RRVBD taking iron tablets and testing on time is 43.4%, the proportion of RRVBD not taking iron tablets or not taking enough iron tablets is 18.3%, the proportion of RRVBD taking enough iron tablets and not coming to the test on time is 18.6%. The proportion of RRVBD dropping out of the study is 19.7%. Hematological parameters (red blood cell count, hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean serum iron concentration) of RRVBD taking iron tablets are within the normal range, the serum ferritin concentration of RRVBD recovered after taking iron tablets is: in the group of blood donors taking enough iron tablets and testing on time, the mean serum ferritin concentration before taking iron tablets is 15.8 ± 5.5 ng/ml and after taking iron tablets is 24.7 ± 14.9 ng/ml, the proportion of blood donors with ferritin returning to normal range after taking iron tablets is 39.7%. In group of blood donors not taking iron tablets or not taking enough iron tablets, serum ferritin before iron intake is 18.1 ± 5.3 ng/ml and after iron intake is 14.2 ± 10.9 ng/ml, the proportion of blood donors having serum ferritin returning to normal range after iron intake is 7.8%. In group of RRVBD taking enough iron tablets and not coming to the test on time, the mean serum ferritin concentration before iron intake is 16.5 ± 5.9 ng/ml and after iron intake is 28.8 ± 17.1 ng/ml, the proportion of blood donors with serum ferritin concentration returning to normal range after blood donation is 51.9%. Conclusion: The proportion of regularly repeated voluntary blood donors taking enough iron tablets and testing on time is 43.4%, the proportion of regularly repeated voluntary blood donors not taking iron tablets or not taking enough iron tablets is 18.3%, the proportion of regularly repeated voluntary blood donors taking enough iron tablets and not coming to the test on time is 18.6%, the proportion of regularly repeated voluntary blood donors not taking iron tablets and not testing is 19.7%. Hematological parameters (red blood cell count, Hb, MCV, MCH and mean serum iron concentration) of regularly repeated voluntary blood donors taking iron tablets before and after iron intake are within the normal range. The proportion of blood donors with serum ferritin concentration after iron intake returning to the normal range: blood donors taking enough iron tablets and testing on time is 39.7%, blood donors not taking iron tablets or not taking enough iron tablets is 7.8% and blood donors taking enough iron tablets and not coming to the test on time is 51.9%.