Prevalence of Iron Deficiency, Anemia, and Associated Factors in a Blood Donor Population in Brazzaville, Congo

Introduction. Blood donation is not without risk to the donor. It results in a substantial loss of iron and decreased hemoglobin. In our country, no predonation assessment is carried out and the selection of blood donors is only clinical. Objectives. To determine the prevalence of iron deficiency, anemia, and iron deficiency anemia and to identify the factors associated with anemia and iron status in a blood donor population at the National Center for Blood Transfusion (NCBT). Methodology. A prospective study is carried out that consists of 120 blood donors in three NCBT branches in the capital from June to November 2021. The donors were divided into 3 groups: first time donors (FTDs), occasional donors (ODs) who have already made between 1 and 3 previous donations, and regular donors (RDs) with at least 4 previous donations. Iron deficiency was defined by a serum ferritin value of less than 30 ng/mL in men and 20 ng/mL in women. Anemia was defined by Hb levels below 13 g/dL in men and 12 g/dL in women. Iron deficiency anemia was defined by association of anemia and iron deficiency. The chi-square test was used for the comparison of the proportions. The odds ratio with the 95% confidence interval was calculated to assess the association between two variables. The p value of the probability was considered significant for a value