A reference interval study of ferritin and transferrin levels in donors from two blood centers

Zeng,Xianfei; Meng,Xi; Wang,Yafen; Li,Shijie; Liao,Qiao; Shan,Zhengang; Huang,Jieting; Shi,Jiyuan; Wang,Liwei; Chen,Hongyan; Hu,Xingbin; Rong,Xia

doi:10.3892/etm.2023.11916

A reference interval study of ferritin and transferrin levels in donors from two blood centers

Authors:
- Xianfei Zeng
- Xi Meng
- Yafen Wang
- Shijie Li
- Qiao Liao
- Zhengang Shan
- Jieting Huang
- Jiyuan Shi
- Liwei Wang
- Hongyan Chen
- Xingbin Hu
- Xia Rong
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Affiliations: School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, P.R. China, Core Laboratory, Xi'an Area Medical Laboratory Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 712000, P.R. China, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China, Institute of Clinical Blood Transfusion, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, P.R. China, Institute of Clinical Blood Transfusion, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, P.R. China
Published online on: March 28, 2023 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2023.11916
Article Number: 218
Copyright: © Zeng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Blood donors not only save the lives of patients but also play an important role in the development of medical and health services. Therefore, it is particularly important to pay attention to the blood health of blood donors who are at a high risk of iron deficiency. Detection of serum ferritin and transferrin is an important basis for the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia. However, to the best of our knowledge, the levels of serum ferritin and transferrin, and the influencing factors, such as age and type of donation, in blood donors have not been clarified. In the present study, the serum ferritin and transferrin levels of donors from two blood centers were investigated. Demographic data were collected from the donors, and their serum ferritin and transferrin levels were tested. A total of 1,817 donors were enrolled and were eligible for evaluation. Reference intervals (RIs) for ferritin and transferrin were obtained from blood donors, and it was revealed that the ferritin and transferrin levels of blood donors were associated with age. Furthermore, serum transferrin levels were associated with the type of donation; the serum transferrin RI level was significantly higher in platelet‑only donors compared with in whole blood donors. It was also demonstrated that ferritin levels were negatively associated with transferrin levels. The present study identified RIs for ferritin and transferrin levels in blood donors, and indicated that age and type of donation were important factors affecting ferritin and transferrin levels in blood donors. These findings may prove useful for blood donation recruitment and screening strategies in China, and could promote the health of blood donors.

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