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Incidence of gammopathies in long‐term plasmapheresis donors at Canadian Blood Services
Author(s) -
Palmer Douglas S.,
Scalia Vito,
O'Toole Joan,
Welch Christine,
Yi Qilong,
Goldman Mindy
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.12991
Subject(s) - apheresis , plasmapheresis , medicine , incidence (geometry) , population , monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance , immunofixation , monoclonal , immunology , antibody , monoclonal antibody , platelet , physics , environmental health , optics
BACKGROUND To investigate the long‐term consequences of repeated plasmapheresis on donor health, their donation histories and demographic data were reviewed to determine the frequency of development of monoclonal (Mc) gammopathies or other gamma globulin abnormalities (OGGAs). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Samples from apheresis plasma donors collected at Canadian Blood Services were tested initially and every 4 months for total protein (TP) followed by serum protein electrophoresis (SPE). Out‐of‐range samples or those showing abnormal band patterns were forwarded to a hospital laboratory for additional investigation. RESULTS Of 52,972 donors who donated 471,446 apheresis plasmas over 9 years, 89,490 samples were sent for TP and SPE testing. Of 3005 samples forwarded for further investigation, abnormal immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) results were found in 209 (0.4%) donors, 85 from first‐time (FT) and 124 from repeat (RPT) plasma donors during participation in the program. There were 167 donors with Mc gammopathies (73 FT, 94 RPT) and 42 with OGGAs (12 FT, 30 RPT). FT or RPT donors with Mc gammopathies or OGGAs were significantly older than those with normal SPEs. RPT donors with Mc gammopathies or OGGAs also had a longer donation period than donors with normal SPEs. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of Mc gammopathies (2.41 per 1000 donors) did not significantly increase from 2004 to 2012. Older donors had a higher incidence of Mc gammopathies and longer donation periods than their healthy counterparts. Overall, gammopathy rates were below those reported over the same age range in the general population.