Background

a little related aspect of productive plasmapheresis is the effect it can have on body iron in regular plasma donors.

Objective

to characterize the behavior of the iron profile in regular plasmapheresis donors.

Methods

cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out with 115 plasma donors, registered in the Provincial Blood Bank of Cienfuegos. In a period of two years, the studied variables were: sex, age, time in the program, intensity of donations, serum iron, transferrin, capacity and saturation index, basic measurements of the blood count and erythrocyte parameters. Information was extracted from medical records and laboratory reports.

Results

the mineral measurements prevailed within the normal range. 27.0% of the donors showed iron deficiency, more frequent among women, the elderly, those who had been in the program for a longer time and had donated more times. More than half of the individuals presented pathological capacity and saturation index, suggestive of iron deficiency hematopoiesis. The erythrocyte parameters were more sensitive when relating latent iron deficiency, with a predominance of pathological measurements of mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and erythrocyte distribution index.

Conclusion

subclinical iron deficiency was more frequent than expected among the plasmapheresis donors included in the study.

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