Study: Teen Blood Donors Take Longer to Replenish Iron After Donating Blood

Teen blood donors are among the fastest growing donor demographics nationally, due to their generally good health and ready accessibility in school settings. A study in the July 2020 Pediatrics, though, finds that nearly 12 months after donating blood, a significant percentage of teens ages 16-18 had inadequate iron stores. The study, “Recovery of Iron Stores after Adolescents Donate Blood,” published online June 5, found that, among 30,806 teens, up to 40% of females and 20% of males had low ferritin 12 months following their first donation. This increased further to as many as 50% of females and 30% of males who donated double units of red blood cells at their first donation. Teen donation occurs against the backdrop of the growth spurt, initiation of menses, and less-healthy dietary habits. In 2015, 13.4% of 12.9 million collected red blood cell units were donated by 16-to 18-year olds, according to research. Blood donors commonly develop iron deficiency because each whole blood donation removes approximately 250 mg iron and testing for donor iron stores is not required. The researchers suggest that post-donation, low-dose iron supplements should be strongly encouraged in teens with borderline or low iron stores. This would permit donation without increased risk for symptoms of mild iron depletion.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.