Hematological Profiles of Eligible Blood Donors at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya

Aim: To determine hematological profile of eligible blood donors at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Kenya.

Study Design: Adopted a cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Kenyatta National Hospital, between March 2021 and August 2021.

Methodology: This study recruited 202 eligible blood donors comprising of 173 males and 29 females aged 18-57 years. Blood samples (4ml) were drawn from donated units into ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) tube. Hematological parameters were estimated using a complete blood count (CBC) analyzer (Humacount 5D®). A total of eighteen hematological parameters were analyzed. These parameters included; red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin concentration, RBC indices, white blood cell (WBC) count, absolute and differential WBC and platelet (PLT) count. Results were presented in medians and 95% interquartile ranges and compared using Mann–Whitney U test.

Results: The median counts for all hematological parameters were within the accepted reference ranges for the adult urban population in Kenya. The median and interquartile range for total red cell count was 4.9×106/µL [0.74], hemoglobin level was 14.3g/dL[1.8], hematocrit was 44.9% [5.1], white blood count was 4.9×103/µL [1.4] and platelet was 234×103/L [64]. Among the red cell parameters analyzed, male donors had a significantly higher RBC count (P<0.001), hematocrit (P=0.001) and hemoglobin (P<0.001) than female donors. Among white blood cell parameters analyzed, only lymphocytes (P=0.011) were significantly higher in female donors than male donors. Platelet count (P<0.001) was also significantly higher in females than male donors.

Conclusion: This study showed eligible donors at KNH had significant differences in red cell count, hematocrit, hemoglobin, lymphocytes and platelets between male and female donors. Additionally, it highlighted that some blood donors had hematological parameters below and above the recommended reference ranges. These findings support the need to review the current donor recruitment criteria recommending the inclusion of complete blood count in screening.