Factors affecting blood donation intervals and patterns of return based on a sample in southern Iran : a follow-up design

OBJECTIVE : The main goal of blood transfusion centers is to recruit and retain more qualified blood donors. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the return of volunteer blood donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS : A cohort study was conducted on all blood donors who donated blood for the first time, from March 21, 2013, to March 20, 2014. They were followed up for five years (up to March 20, 2018). Demographic characteristics, type of blood donation and time interval between two blood donations were recorded as recurrent events. Data were then analyzed using Logit Model for Multinomial Responses and Cox's shared frailty model. RESULTS : Of the 2010 blood donors, 33.7% as the repeated donor and 16.2% as the regular donor had regular donations. The frequency of blood donation was in the range of 1 to 20 with a mean of 4.54±3.29. There was a significant reverse relationship between the number of donations and the time interval between two donations. The variables of gender, marital status and occupation had a significant effect on the blood donation of the repeated and regular donors. Genders, age at the time of the first donation, marital status and occupation had a significant effect on the intervals between blood donations. CONCLUSION : Most of blood supply of Iran is provided by men and first-time donors. Since the decision to donate and keep donating blood involves many complex issues applied programs are require to convert women and first-time donors into regular donors.http://www.romj.org/Statistic

BAYESIAN ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE INTERVAL BETWEEN BLOOD DONATIONS USING COX'S SHARED FRAILTY MODEL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON A SAMPLE OF BLOOD DONORS IN IRAN

Background: Identify talented people to donate predisposed a major role in supplying healthy blood. If the time interval between donations decrease, the chance that voluntary of blood donation be a regular donor increase. The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting the interval between blood donations in a sample of first-time blood donors. Methods: Data of a Cross-sectional Study of 864 blood donors in Shahrekord Blood Transfusion Center were used. In survival analysis framework, the times of blood donations are recurrent events. To identify the risk factors affecting the survival time of the return intervals between donations, Cox model with shared gamma frailty was fitted to the data and estimate of the parameters obtained based on Bayesian approach using Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm by WinBUGS. Findings: ANOVA analysis on information related to age, sex, job and exposure with cigarettes in selected population from two city showed that the selected population in two cities is completely homogeneous and similar. And a Significant differences between the average concentration of lead in the nail of subjects under study in two cities is there (P<0.001).The average concentration of lead in nail samples in Isfahan was 0.1037 mg/g and the average concentration of lead nail samples in Chadegan city was 0.0875 mg/g. Conclusion: Because of better fitting of Cox's shared frailty model, the correlation between the intervals of blood donations was confirmed. With increasing awareness and culture, the lower-weight and higher-age people should be encouraged to donate more

Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Beta-Thalassemia Major Patients in Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract Background: Occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI) is defined by the presence of HCV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and liver tissue cells despite the absence of HCV RNA in plasma. Currently, OCI is classified into two types: seropositive OCI (anti-HCV positive and serum HCV-RNA negative) and seronegative OCI (anti-HCV and serum HCV-RNA negative). Beta-Thalassemia is described as a blood disorder, which decreases the synthesis of hemoglobin. Repeated blood transfusion is the standard treatment for patients with beta-thalassemia major (BTM) that increases the risk of exposure to infectious agents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of OCI among BTM patients.Materials and Methods: plasma and PBMCs were collected from 90 BTM patients and screened for HCV antibody using the ELISA kit commercially as the first step. Then nested-RT PCR was performed on extractions of plasma and PBMC. Positive samples of HCV RNA from PBMCs were sequenced and aligned to construct the HCV phylogenetic tree to assess the homology of sequences compared to the reference sequences retrieved from GenBank.Results: Seventy-nine out of 90 cases (87.8%) indicated negative results for HCV Ab (seronegative), while 11 patients (12.2%) were seropositive. HCV RNA was found in PBMCs samples of four patients (66.66%) with negative HCV Ab (seronegative) and two patients (33.3%) with positive HCV Ab (seropositive). HCV RNA was not detected in plasma samples of these six patients. Overall six out of 90 patients (6.7%) had OCI. HCV genotyping revealed that all six patients infected with HCV subtype 3a.Conclusion: We indicated the high frequency of OCI in BTM patients. Nevertheless, more attention is warranted, considering the importance of this infection. Also, further studies are necessary to determine the actual prevalence of OCI among BTM patients in Iran.</jats:p

Factors Affecting Blood Donation Intervals And Patterns Of Return Based On A Sample In Southern Iran: A Follow-Up Design

Objectives — The main goal of blood transfusion centers is to recruit and retain more qualified blood donors. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the return of volunteer blood donors. Material and Methods — A cohort study was conducted on all blood donors who donated blood for the first time, from March 21, 2013, to March 20, 2014. They were followed up for five years (up to March 20, 2018). Demographic characteristics, type of blood donation and time interval between two blood donations were recorded as recurrent events. Data were then analyzed using Logit Model for Multinomial Responses and Cox's shared frailty model. Results — Of the 2010 blood donors, 33.7% as the repeated donor and 16.2% as the regular donor had regular donations. The frequency of blood donation was in the range of 1 to 20 with a mean of 4.54±3.29. There was a significant reverse relationship between the number of donations and the time interval between two donations. The variables of gender, marital status and occupation had a significant effect on the blood donation of the repeated and regular donors. Genders, age at the time of the first donation, marital status and occupation had a significant effect on the intervals between blood donations. Conclusions — Most of blood supply of Iran is provided by men and first-time donors. Since the decision to donate and keep donating blood involves many complex issues applied programs are require to convert women and first-time donors into regular donors.</jats:p