Iron deficiency in blood donors is an urgent problem and has an influence on the supply with blood components. Administration of iron supplements is one of the directions of correction of the existing iron deficiency.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effectiveness of two regimens of iron supplements in blood donors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 41 blood donors with an identified iron deficiency who received iron supplements in one of two schemes: 50 mg of ferrous iron daily for 30 days or 50 mg of ferrous iron every other day for 60 days. The correction effectiveness was evaluated according to the dynamics of serum ferritin level measured before blood donation and after the completion of iron intake.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences between the groups, but the insufficient capacity of the method does not allow to exclude real differences. The every other day regimen of iron intake was accompanied by a more pronounced increase in the serum ferritin level (+32.5%) and recovery of iron stores in 89.5% of donors, while the daily administration was characterized by a lower increase (+12.4%) and recovery of ferritin level in only 59.1% of donors.

CONCLUSION

The intake of ferrous iron every other day is associated with a higher proportion of donors whose iron stores have been recovered to baseline and can be considered as a scheme of choice for iron deficiency correction.