Insights into the diversity of blood donation practice across Asia: How blood collection agencies adapt donor criteria and processes to their population

• Published in: Vox sanguinis Vol. 118; no. 12; pp. 1046 - 1060
• Main Authors: Fung, Yoke‐Lin, Alcantara, Ramir Moreno, Cavalli, Leonardo Brereton, Chen, Jen‐Wei, Chen, Yun‐Yuan, Donkin, Rebecca, Kupatawintu, Pawinee, Kwon, So‐Yong, Lee, Cheuk‐Kwong, Nadarajan, Veera Sekaran, Namjil, Erdenebayar, Bat, Solongo, Odajima, Takeshi, Sachdev, Suchet, Siswishanto, Rukmono, Tadsomboon, Sahit, Sharma, Ratti Ram, Triyono, Teguh, Tsuno, Nelson‐Hirokazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2023; S. Karger AG
• Subjects: Anemia; Asia; Blood & organ donations; Blood Donation; Blood Donors; Blood volume; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body size; Collection services; Criteria; Data collection; donor eligibility criteria; donor height; donor weight; donors and donation; Hemoglobin; Hemoglobins - analysis; Humans; Local optimization; Phenotypes; Population studies; Strategy; Asia; blood volume; donor eligibility criteria; Asia; donor weight; donor height; donors and donation
• ISSN: 0042-9007; 1423-0410
• DOI: 10.1111/vox.13530

Background and Objectives Securing an adequate blood supply relies on accurate knowledge of blood donors and donation practices. As published evidence on Asian populations is sparse, this study aims to gather up‐to‐date information on blood donors and donation practices in Asia to assist planning and strategy development. Materials and Methods Ten blood collection agencies (BCAs) provided 12 months' data on donors who met eligibility criteria or were deferred, as well as details of their donation practices. Body mass index and blood volumes were calculated and analysed. Results Data on 9,599,613 donations and 154,834 deferrals from six national and four regional BCAs revealed varied donation eligibility and collection practices. Seven used haemoglobin (Hb) criteria below the World Health Organization anaemia threshold. Seven accepted donors weighing <50 kg. Data collection on the weight and height of donors and on deferrals was inconsistent, often not routine. Deferred donors appear to weigh less, with corresponding lower estimated blood volume. Conclusion The diversity in eligibility criteria and donation practices reflects each BCA's strategy for balancing donor health with securing an adequate blood supply. Use of lower Hb criteria substantiate their appropriateness in Asia and indicate the need to define Hb reference intervals relevant to each population. We encourage routine gathering of donor weight and height data to enable blood volume estimation and local optimization of donation volumes. Blood volume estimation formulae specific for the Asian phenotype is needed. Information from this study would be useful for tailoring donation criteria of Asian donors around the world.