Prevalence, donation practices, and risk assessment of blood donors with hemochromatosis.
BACKGROUND
Despite changes in eligibility policies, practical barriers limit blood donations from individuals with hemochromatosis. Increased knowledge of hemochromatosis donor characteristics may help foster further changes that will promote more donations.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of donors diagnosed as having hemochromatosis and to compare rates of unreported deferrable risks for transfusion-transmissible viral infections (TTVIs), positive screening test results for TTVIs, and donation patterns between hemochromatosis patient donors and donors reporting no medical conditions necessitating phlebotomy (non-health-related donors).


METHODS
An anonymous mail survey conducted in 1998 as part of the ongoing Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study.


METHODS
Among a stratified probability sample of 92 581 blood donors from 8 geographically diverse US blood centers, 52 650 (57%) responded.


METHODS
Prevalence of hemochromatosis among blood donors; prevalence of unreported deferrable risks and positive screening test results for TTVIs among hemochromatosis patient donors vs non-health-related donors.


RESULTS
One hundred ninety-seven respondents (0.4%) identified themselves as hemochromatosis patients and 50 079 (95.1%) as non-health-related donors. An estimated 0.8% of all donations were from hemochromatosis patients, 45.8% of whom reported that they had donated blood to treat their illness. The proportion of repeat donors was higher in hemochromatosis patients than in non-health-related donors (83.5% vs 76.5%; P =.03). Among repeat donors, 68.7% of hemochromatosis patients reported donating at least 3 times in the past year compared with 49.1% of non-health-related donors (P<.001). The prevalence of unreported deferrable risks for TTVIs was similar in hemochromatosis patients (2.0%) and non-health-related donors(3.1%) as was the overall prevalence of positive screening test results (1.3% of hemochromatosis patients vs 1.6% of non-health-related donors).


CONCLUSIONS
Although significant numbers of hemochromatosis patients reported donating blood for therapeutic reasons, our findings suggest that this population does not present a greater risk to blood safety than other donors.
Sanchez
A M
AM
Westat, WB 266, 1650 Research Blvd, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. anasanchez@westat.com
Schreiber
G B
GB
Bethel
J
J
McCurdy
P R
PR
Glynn
S A
SA
Williams
A E
AE
Gilcher
R
R
D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D005260:Female; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis