@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2252-0805    The Horizon of Medical Sciences 2018;24(3):239-245

Background
Vasovagal reactions occur in 2-5% of blood donors. Vasovagal reaction is one of the most common blood donation complications due to sudden excitement, pain or fear, or another psychological phenomenon, such as seeing blood [1].
Previous Studies
… [2-6]. A study has shown that the rate of blood donation reaction is higher in women than in men and in first-time donors [7]. In another study, the incidence of blood donation reactions was higher in first-time donors and those under the age of 30 years, and there was no relationship between hemoglobin, hematocrit, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, gender, and weight in the incidence of blood donation reactions between men and women [6]. …. [8]. In another study, the incidence of blood donation reactions was 1.43%. The most important factors in these reactions were blood volume, age, first-time donation, gender, race, blood pressure, pulse rate, and BMI [9].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of vasovagal reactions and its effective factors in blood donors in Blood Transfusion Centers of Mashhad.
Research type
This is a case-control study.
Research society, place and time
The population of this study was blood donors, who visited blood transfusion centers in Mashhad from August to January 2015 for blood donation.
Sampling method and number
The sample size was 657 blood donors, who were referred to 4 blood transfusion centers in Mashhad for blood donation. Patients with vasovagal reactions (218 cases) were assigned to the case group and those who did not respond to vasovagal reactions (439 samples) were assigned to the control group.
Used devices&materials
… [10-16]. The information including age, history of blood donation, drug use, smoking, anxiety (no anxiety, low anxiety, and high anxiety) [17], or feeling of weakness before blood donation, was received by a doctor and recorded in the questionnaire. Weight, height, BMI, and gender were measured before blood donation and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse rate were measured before and after blood donation and recorded in a checklist. Blood transfusions were performed by experienced personnel in blood transfusion centers. The vasovagal reaction was also determined by physicians based on blood transfusion centers and recorded in a checklist. The hematocrit percentage and hemoglobin levels of each person were measured by the German K21 system. Individuals were evaluated by the physician for vasovagal reactions at the time of blood donation up to 30 minutes. The data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 software, using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to examine the normal distribution of quantitative variables, non-parametric Mann-Whitney test, and Chi-square tests to compare these variables in two groups.
Findings by Text
10092 people donated blood within 6 months, of whom 218 had vasovagal reactions. The incidence of vasovagal reactions was 16.2%. In this study, out of 657 blood donors, 593 were men and 64 were women. Out of the 218 blood donors with vasovagal reactions, 181 were men and 36 were women. The incidence of vasovagal reactions was significantly higher in women than in men. The mean age was 31.4±0.66 years in the case group and 34.7±0.48 years in the control group, which was significant. 45.3% of the first-time donors and 21.7% of those with a history of blood donation had vasovagal reactions, and there was a significant difference in the history of blood donation (Table 1). In cases with low anxiety, the incidence of vasovagal reactions was 67%, in cases with high anxiety, it was 74.2%, and in cases without anxiety, it was 24.5%, and this difference was significant (Table 2). The comparison of the mean weight of the case group with the control group showed that the difference between them was significant. However, there was no significant difference between the mean height of the case group and the control group. The mean BMI was significantly different between the case and control groups (Table 3). The comparison of mean arterial pressure before and after blood donation between the case and control groups showed a significant difference between the two groups. Also, there was a significant difference between the mean number of pulse rate before and after blood donation between the case and control groups. (Table 4). The mean of hematocrit level was 46.16±0.29 in the case group and 46.05±0.16 in the control group, and there was no significant difference between the case and control groups. Also, the mean of hemoglobin level was 15.9±0.06 g/dl in the case group and 15.9±0.1 g/dl in the control group, and the difference was not significant between the two groups. 56 of the blood donors were smokers (8.5%) and 601 did were non-smokers (91.5%). The incidence of vasovagal reactions was 25% for smokers and 34.1% for non-smokers, and the difference was not significant.
Main comparison to the similar studies
… [18-19]. The results of this study showed that the vasovagal reactions level in female blood donors was higher than that of the male blood donors. In some studies, the vasovagal reactions level in female blood donors was more than that of men [20, 7, 3]. Several studies have suggested age as an important factor in the development of vasovagal reactions. As the age increases, the probability of a vasovagal reaction decreases [21, 20]. Some studies have shown that the incidence of vasovagal reactions is higher in young people [3]. However, in another study conducted in the blood bank of Greece, there was no relationship between the incidence of vasovagal reactions and age [6]. The results of this study also show the effect of age on vasovagal reactions, and as age decreases, the probability of a vasovagal reaction increases. The results of this study showed that the risk of vasovagal reactions was higher in those with lower weight. Another study has confirmed this finding [3]. … [22-27]. In the present study, the incidence of vasovagal reactions in subjects with anxiety was significantly higher than those who did not have anxiety. This finding was consistent with the results of studies conducted by France et al. [28] as well as Meade et al. [29]. … [30, 31]. There was a significant relationship between BMI reduction and vasovagal reactions in the present study. This finding was parallel with the findings of other researchers [9]. … [32, 33]. Before blood donation, there was no difference in the heart rate of donors with and without vasovagal reactions. Assarian et al. also have similar findings in their research [2]. There was no difference in the hemoglobin and hematocrit level of donors with and without vasovagal reactions in this study. Zervou et al. also did not find a relationship between the incidence of vasovagal reactions and hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in blood donors [6].
Suggestions
None declared by the authors.
Limitations
None declared by the authors.
Conclusions
The incidence of vasovagal reactions depends on several factors, including age, gender, BMI, and blood pressure.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to appreciate the supports of the Blood Transfusion Organization of Khorasan Razavi, as well as the respected personnel of the blood transfusion centers in Mashhad, who have been involved in the sampling.
Conflict of interest
There is no conflict of interest.
Ethical Permissions
None declared by the authors.
Funding Sources
This research was funded by Blood Transfusion Organization in Khorasan Razavi.

TABLES and CHARTS

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