Hematology · 4 h ago
Low ferritin linked to fatigue and insomnia symptoms in Danish blood donors
A cross-sectional study of 59,668 Danish blood donors found non-anemic iron deficiency in 9.5% of women and 2.0% of men. Low ferritin was associated with fatigue in women and insomnia symptoms in men, although the findings do not establish causation.
- NAID affected 9.5% of women and 2.0% of men.
- NAID was associated with fatigue in women.
- NAID was associated with insomnia symptoms in men.
- Cross-sectional findings do not establish causation.
Researchers analyzed data from the Danish Blood Donor Study collected between May 2015 and January 2025. The cross-sectional analysis included 59,668 donors with ferritin measurements and questionnaire responses on fatigue and insomnia collected within 90 days. Non-anemic iron deficiency (NAID) was defined as ferritin below 15 μg/L with normal hemoglobin. Sex-stratified models adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, region, and donation history.
NAID was present in 9.5% of women and 2.0% of men. Among women, NAID was associated with fatigue (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% CI 1.06–1.40); among men, it was associated with insomnia symptoms (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.03–1.53). Analyses treating ferritin as a continuous measure also linked lower concentrations to higher odds of fatigue in both sexes and insomnia symptoms in men.
The results suggest hemoglobin screening alone may not identify donors with depleted iron stores and symptoms. However, the cross-sectional design cannot establish that low ferritin caused the reported symptoms, and the findings do not establish whether ferritin monitoring improves donor outcomes.
In practice
Among blood donors with normal hemoglobin, low ferritin was associated with fatigue in women and insomnia symptoms in men in this large cross-sectional study. The findings suggest that hemoglobin screening alone may miss iron depletion associated with symptoms, but they do not show that iron deficiency caused those symptoms or that ferritin monitoring improves health outcomes. The study supports consideration of ferritin monitoring in donor-health strategies, not a proven change in screening or treatment practice.
AI-generated clinical interpretation · Not editor-reviewed
Is this summary clinically accurate?
Help fellow clinicians: your rating sends inaccurate summaries straight to our editors.
Sign in to rate this summary →Source
Transfusion: Non‐anemic iron deficiency and symptoms of fatigue and insomnia in 59,668 Danish blood donors: Results from the Danish Blood Donor Study ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.