Risk prediction of iron deficiency for plasmapheresis donors in China: Development and validation of a prediction model

Background and Objectives The present study aims to evaluate the iron stores in plasmapheresis donors and develop and validate an iron deficiency (ID) risk prediction model for plasmapheresis donors with potential or existing ID. Materials and Methods We assessed plasmapheresis donors' serum ferritin (SF) and haemoglobin (Hb) levels. The candidate factors showing significant differences in the multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to establish a risk prediction scoring system. The participants were divided into a training cohort and an internal validation cohort in a 7:3 ratio. Additional plasmapheresis donors from a different station were recruited for external validation. Results The SF levels in both male and female donors in the high‐frequency group were significantly lower than those of new donors (male: p 0.05) in development, internal validation cohorts and external validation cohorts. Conclusion A higher donation frequency has been associated with reduced SF levels and an increased risk of ID in women. The developed ID risk prediction model demonstrates moderate discriminative power and good model fitting, suggesting its potential clinical utility.