U.S. Blood Supply Threatened as Donors Face Iron Losses

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-15/u-s-blood-supply-threatened-as-donors-face-iron-losses.html

Dennis Gastineau started giving blood regularly when he was in medical school in the 1970s. The $25 he received bought almost enough groceries for a week. Now, it just seems like the right thing to do.

It may also be bad for his health. Gastineau, who happens to be a hematologist, is among the 2.4 million donors who risk silent damage as a result of frequent giving. U.S. government research published last year found this group iron-deficient, which can lead to fatigue, compromised mental function and eventually anemia. Now, iron levels are being examined as part of an $87.2 million study the U.S. is funding on blood donation and transfusion safety.

In the U.S., 70 percent of the blood supply comes from repeat donors. Limiting their giving may hamper a system that already suffers shortages. The Mayo Clinic predicts a 10 percent drop in its supply from its restrictions on donors after finding that one-third had iron deficiency.

“We want to make sure we don’t have a group of people walking around being iron deficient,” said Manish Gandhi, the medical director of the Mayo Clinic’s blood donation center. “Blood donation in the U.S. is an altruistic thing. We need to focus on what we should be doing to protect these wonderful donors.”