A follow-up study of blood donors with vasovagal reaction – Three years’ experience

AIM: The aim of this study was to find out the incidence of seizure recurrence among blood donors who developed vasovagal reaction (VVR). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective survey-based study conducted at the department of transfusion medicine of a tertiary care referral hospital in southern India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All donors who were diagnosed with VVR and loss of consciousness with or without convulsions during 3½ years study period were telephonically contacted to a maximum of 3 times. Whether they experienced a repeat episode of convulsions during 6-month follow-up period irrespective of blood donation was enquired. RESULTS: Out of 66 donors who were included in the study, 45 (68%) donors could be successfully contacted. One donor out of 45 (2.22%) had developed a repeat episode of seizure 5 months postdonation. However, she also had a previous history of seizures which was not revealed during the medical examination. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the VVR with convulsions during blood donation can trigger a secondary episode if the donor had convulsions in their past before donation. We did not find any donor who developed a new seizure episode without a past history of seizure. However, more studies are needed to confirm the same.