Search

Hisham Arif Getta,1 Hemn Abed Ahmad,1 Heshu Sulaiman Rahman,2–4 Govand Ali Ahmed,1 Rasedee Abdullah5 1Department of Pathology and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq; 2Department of Clinical and Internal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq; 3Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Science, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaimani, Iraq; 4Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 5Department of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Introduction: It has been suggested that blood donation reduces risks of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, atherosclerosis, and stroke. Although there are known benefits of blood donation, the inclination of people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to donate blood is not known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine demograpic and blood biochemical profiles of regular and first-time blood donors in the Sulaimani province of North Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Sulaimani Blood Bank, during the period of April 1, 2016 to March 28, 2017, on convenient samples of 100 regular and 100 first-time blood donors. Donor particulars were obtained from blood bank records. The cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, ferritin, vitamin D3, and uric acid concentrations of blood samples were determined. Results: The main reason for blood donation by regular blood donors was headache (45%), while for the first-timers it was to help relatives (31%). The low-density lipoprotein and ferritin concentrations were significantly (p=0.001) lower in the blood of regular donors than first-timers. Conclusion: The study shows that regular blood donation is beneficial for the maintenance of