Blood donation in different regions of Saudi Arabia: acceptance and rejection

Abstract

Background: Regular blood donations are crucial for hospitals to keep a sufficient supply of all blood types on hand. For this study we compared the no of rejected donors to total donors, to compare no of rejected male to female, and to most frequent cause of rejection in six different centers around Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from Saudi donors at six different sites between January and December of 2019. The results of male and female blood donors, as well as rejected donors from the same geographic region, were compared using SPSS analysis. Results: Males were significantly larger than females’ donors and the number of accepted donors was significantly larger than rejected donors (P <0.0001; respectively). Low blood pressure and lack of sleep were the two most prevalent causes of rejection (12 %). Recent travel to malaria area was the second-most common cause of rejection (12%). The Hijama and tattoos (12%) played a role in the refusal. Only 5% of the donors who had convulsions were refused. Conclusion: In conclusion, the vast majority of the Saudi blood donors were men. Finding out the causes of rejection will help in donation process.