Severe Anemia among Blood Donors in an Area Where Blood Donation Is Sought to Save the Lives of Children with Severe Malaria—Anemia in Blood Donors

Abstract

Introduction: Severe anemia caused by severe malaria remains concentrated in children under 5 years old in Africa. In addition to blood-transfusion-related infections that pose a health concern, transfusion of severely anemic blood to a patient with severe anemia is another important concern. Method: Following the observation of a case of severe anemia in a blood donor, we conducted a secondary data analysis from a previous study to assess the frequency of anemia in blood donors in San, Mali. Results: In total, out of 140 volunteers, 13 (9%, 95% CI: 5.43–15.41) blood donors had moderate to severe anemia, based on Mali hemoglobin (Hb) normal values (10.5–16.5 g/dL, MRTC-GLP laboratory). In particular, we observed one case of severe anemia with an Hb level of 6.5 g/dL. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of severe anemia in blood donors in a malaria endemic area in Mali.