Introduction:

In Colombia, there is no research on the causes of blood donor deferral.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of the reasons for donor deferral of a blood bank in Medellín, Colombia.

Materials and methods:

A cross-sectional study with 43,002 subjects to estimate the general and sex-/age-specific prevalence of deferrals. For each deferral reason, crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression models.

Results:

The main reasons for deferral were the risk of the sexual partner (25.2 %), inadequate hemoglobin (15.2 %), and origin from endemic areas of malaria or Chagas (8.2 %); the lowest prevalence was reported in exposure or reactivity to transfusion-transmissible infections. In women, the highest prevalence was low hemoglobin, reactivity in immunohaematological tests, the risk of sharps, and contraindicated treatments for donating, and in men, underlying diseases, reactivity in bank infection markers, and sexual risk.

Conclusion:

The bank had a high prevalence of sexual behavior and hemoglobin deferrals, with statistical differences in age and sex. The preceding constitutes relevant evidence to improve recruitment processes, educational campaigns and public health actions, epidemiological prevention, and surveillance of the most prevalent deferrals to ensure sufficient blood supply.

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