Evaluation of body mass index, hematocrit, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and total protein in voluntary and commercial blood donors in Nigeria: Advocating for simultaneous screening for nutritional status

Aims: The provision of blood for transfusion largely depends on the availability of blood donors. Hence donor protection as well as patient’s protection is necessary in achieving good quality blood and blood products for the benefit of the patient. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study was conducted to compare the hematocrit, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum protein and body mass index (BMI) in voluntary (99) and commercial (95) blood donors aged between 18–36 years using simple, cost effective and efficient techniques. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and Student T-test. Results: The commercial and voluntary blood donors differed significantly (p < 0.05) in ESR, total protein, hematocrit and BMI. The majority, 13 (13.7%) of the commercial donors were underweight while the voluntary blood donors had more 14(14.1%) of overweight blood donors. There were significant correlations between the hematocrit and the BMI among the voluntary blood donors (r = 0.287, p<0.05) and commercial blood donors (r = 0.371, p<0.05) respectively. The total protein differed significantly between the commercial and voluntary donors, but there was no significant correlation with BMI (r = 0.000 and 0.053 respectively, p>0.05). Conclusion: Voluntary donors are better choice for good quality blood donation than commercial donors in respect of the PCV and BMI. Blood donors should be protected against the adverse effect of blood donation by assessing both the hematologic and nutritional status and by behavioral change communications.