A comparative study of serum ferritin levels among unfit and fit blood donors

Background: Cheap methodologies are being utilized by low-resource countries to determine blood donors' fitness. Important hematological biomarkers might have to be evaluated to enhance the use of these methods. Aims: The study evaluated the pattern of serum ferritin in 18-24 fit and unfit prospective blood donors (PDBs) and the prevalence of iron store deficiency. Settings and Design: This study was a cross-sectional, comparative study which was conducted at the blood donor clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected by venipuncture into sodium-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and plain bottles. The latter was centrifuged and used for ferritin determination via human ferritin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kit, while the former was used for red cell indices analysis using an autoanalyzer. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, values were presented as mean +/- standard deviation, and P