title: Rates and reasons for blood donor deferral, Shiraz, Iran. A retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Knowledge of the reasons for donor deferral can help in planning more efficient recruitment strategies and evaluating donor selection criteria. This study aimed to investigate the rates and reasons for donor deferral.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study at Shiraz Blood Transfusion Center, Shiraz, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  141,820 volunteers were interviewed confidentially by physicians before blood donation. The rate of and reasons for donor deferral were investigated according to demographic characteristics. The data were analyzed using the comparison-of-proportions test of the MedCalc statistical software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  43,839 people (30.9%) who had come for blood donation were deferred, 1,973 (4.5%) of them permanently. The deferral rate was significantly higher among women, single individuals and first-time donors, compared with men, married individuals and those with a history of previous donation (P < 0.0001). The deferral rate was significantly higher in the 17 to 30-year-old group (P < 0.05). The reasons for deferral were divided into five categories: risk factors possibly related to HIV or hepatitis (43.6%), underlying diseases (31.9%), non-eligible conditions (13.5%), medications that interfere with blood donation (7.8%) and risk factors that may relate to bacterial or viral infections except HIV and hepatitis infections (3.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective measures are required for documenting the impact of deferral on blood availability, monitoring the effectiveness of and need for deferral, and determining the reasons and rates of deferral.
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Transfusion Research and Education, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kasraian
authors.affiliation: Shiraz Consultation Center, Iranian Blood Transfusion Research Center, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Negarestani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001771:Blood Banks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058731:Blood Safety / Q000592:standards; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult