Prevalence of Anemia, Iron Deficiency Anemia, and Associated Factors Among Blood Donors in West Cameroon; an Analytical Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background and Aim Anemia in general and iron deficiency constitute a public health problem, particularly about blood donation. Blood donation can lead to anemia, particularly deficiency anemia under certain conditions. This study therefore aims to determine the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency anemia in blood donors and identify associated factors. Methods We conducted an analytical cross‐sectional study over 4 months. Blood donors were recruited at the blood bank of the Bafoussam Regional Hospital. Blood samples were collected in EDTA and dry tubes for biological tests, among which full blood counts, serum ferritin level, and serum iron following standard assay protocols (flow cytometry, sandwich Elisa, and spectrophotometric). The results obtained were analyzed using R software version 4.3.2. The significance threshold for analyses was set at p value < 0.05. Results In total, 210 blood donors were included in the study. The sex ratio was 5.3 in favor of men. The mean age was 29.69 ± 7.98 years. The most common type of donation was paid donation (38.6%); 70% of the donations were sporadic. Out of the 210 donors, 63 (30%) had anemia, and 45 (21.4%) had iron deficiency. The mean hemoglobin level was 10.81 ± 0.89 g/dL in anemic donors (AD), and 12.84 ± 1.18 g/dL in non‐anemic donors (NAD) (p < 0.001). The mean red blood cell count was 4.67 ± 0.55 T/L in AD and 5.21 ± 0.62 T/L in NAD (p < 0.001). The mean hemoglobin levels were 10.8 ± 0.87 g/dL in AD, and 12.9 ± 1.17 g/dL in NAD (p < 0.001). Serum iron level differed in AD compared to NAD with respective means of 305 ± 128 µg/dL in AD and 386.00 ± 207 µg/dL in NAD (p < 0.001). Macroplateletosis was identified as a predictive factor of iron deficiency anemia during blood donation (OR = 2.93; 95% CI = [1.00; 8.59]; p = 0.054). Conclusion This study reports a high frequency of iron deficiency anemia in blood donors. This suggests a systematic exploration of anemia and iron deficiency anemia in blood donors is useful to preserve donor safety and ensure the efficacy of blood transfusion.