Haematological parameters of regular and first-time male blood donors in a medium-sized hospital in north central nigeria.

Background: Haemoglobin concentration is the only parameter that is routinely done in order to determine donor
fitness. Donors with non-symptomatic derangement in any of the other haematological parameters may therefore be
recruited for blood donation. Aims: We determined the haematological parameters of male blood donors and the
effect of regular blood donation on these parameters by comparing the parameters of regular and first-time donors.
Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 200 male donors aged 18-59 years. Purposive
sampling method was employed to select 100 each of age-matched regular and first-time male blood donors. Only
consenting donors who had been found fit to donate with haemoglobin concentration of ≥12.5g/dl and who had been
screened negative for HBsAg, HCV and HIV antibodies were recruited for this study. The full blood count (FBC)
was determined by haematology analyser; Sysmex KX21 (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan) according to the manufacturer’s
instructions. Results: There was a significant difference in haemoglobin concentration, MCH and MCHC between
the two groups (14.43± 1.26 versus13.92± 1.10; P=0.003, 27.997 ±2.64 versus 27.004± 2.98; P=0.013 and 33.448±
2.72 versus 32.361± 3.08; P=0.009 respectively). Conclusions: Regular donors had a lower mean value of
haemoglobin concentration, MCH and MCHC when compared to first-time donors. We, therefore, recommend a
yearly full blood count for regular blood donors. Further studies to determine an appropriate donation interval that
will not jeopardize the health of our regular donors will also be necessary.