Extending the gift of donation: blood donor public health studies

Background and Objectives The effect of blood donation on donor health has long been a neglected research area. Blood donors are generally willing to contribute to scientific studies, and data obtained from blood donors may thus serve as a source for general health research. The Danish Blood Donor Study (DBDS) intends to study the influence of blood donation on the health of blood donors and to serve as a national platform for collaborative health research. Materials and Methods DBDS relies on an existing infrastructure for standardized data collection, handling and storage of plasma samples in the blood banks. In addition, we obtain an informed consent and collect a four‐page questionnaire data, data from public registries, and DNA on all participating donors. Results Since 2010, more than 86 000 Danish blood donors have been enrolled in DBDS (participation rate >95% of invited donors). Questionnaire data from the first 40 000 donors are available for research. DNA has been extracted, and ferritin and hsCRP have been measured among the first 20 000 donors. In addition, clinical endpoints are available through the Danish national health registries. A large variety of collaborative studies have been initiated, and the costs of DBDS are much lower than similar studies where the infrastructure needs to be invented for pure research purposes. Conclusion The DBDS shows that it is feasible to establish a large prospective epidemiological research cohort within the blood bank system at a low cost. Blood donors are willing to provide information for health research, ensuring a high participation rate.