Iron DeficiencyNCT07861607
Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent (RET-He) in Early Detection of Iron Deficiency Among Blood Donors and Its Potential Impact on Donor Eligibility and Transfusion Safety
An observational study of Iron Deficiency and Latent Iron Deficiency, run by Assiut University.
Trial summary
Blood donation is essential for healthcare, but repeated whole-blood donation can deplete the body's iron stores. Standard pre-donation screening relies on hemoglobin levels to ensure donor safety; however, a drop in hemoglobin is a late sign of iron deficiency. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Iron Deficiency, Latent Iron Deficiency, Blood Donors
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Nov 2026to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Observational
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Adult
Study population: The study population consists of voluntary adult blood donors attending the Main Blood Bank at the Central Blood Transfusion Services (CBTS), Department of Clinical Pathology, Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut, Egypt. Eligible participants comprise healthy male and female donors aged 18 to 60 years who fulfill routine national and institutional donor-selection standards, including pre-donation hemoglobin eligibility thresholds (Hb ≥ 14 g/dL for males and ≥ 12 g/dL for females).
Who may be able to join
- Voluntary blood donors eligible for donation according to standard national and institutional donor-selection criteria.
- Adults aged 18 to 60 years.
- Meeting accepted pre-donation hemoglobin thresholds for blood donation (hemoglobin ≥ 14.0 g/dL for males and ≥ 12.0 g/dL for females).
- Both male and female donors eligible under local blood donation policies.
- Provision of written informed consent prior to study participation.
Who cannot join
- Known hematological disorders or chronic anemia unrelated to iron deficiency.
- Known chronic kidney disease, active malignancy, or chronic inflammatory/autoimmune diseases.
- History of recent blood transfusion.
- Recent therapeutic iron treatment or regular iron supplementation within the preceding 3 months.
- History of recent major bleeding or major surgery.
- Inadequate or hemolyzed blood sample, or inability to obtain valid RET-He, complete blood count (CBC), or iron panel measurements.
- Donors who withdraw consent.
About this study
Official title: Role of Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent (RET-He) in Early Detection of Iron Deficiency Among Blood Donors and Its Potential Impact on Donor Eligibility and Transfusion Safety
Blood donation is essential for healthcare, but repeated whole-blood donation can deplete the body's iron stores. Standard pre-donation screening relies on hemoglobin levels to ensure donor safety; however, a drop in hemoglobin is a late sign of iron deficiency. Consequently, donors with subclinical or latent iron depletion often pass standard pre-donation screening unnoticed.
The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical utility of Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent (RET-He) as an early laboratory marker for detecting iron deficiency among accepted blood donors. Because reticulocytes are newly formed red blood cells, RET-He reflects iron availability for hemoglobin production over the preceding few days, potentially detecting iron limitation much earlier than mature red blood cell indices or standard hemoglobin testing.
In this prospective observational study, approximately 300 eligible voluntary blood donors aged 18 to 60 years will be enrolled at the Main Blood Bank of Assiut University Hospitals. At the time of routine donation, blood samples will be analyzed for complete blood count (CBC) with RET-He, serum ferritin, iron profile (serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, and transferrin saturation), and C-reactive protein (CRP) to control for inflammation. Participants will also be reassessed at their subsequent regular donation visit (after 90 days for males and 120 days for females) to evaluate changes in iron indices over time and explore whether adding RET-He improves donor eligibility assessment and long-term donor health.
- Keywords
- Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent, RET-He, Donor Eligibility, Ferritin, Transferrin Saturation, Iron Depletion, Transfusion Safety
- Medical subject headings
- Iron Deficiencies, Anemia, Iron-Deficiency
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible Voluntary Blood Donors | Voluntary blood donors aged 18 to 60 years who meet routine institutional pre-donation eligibility criteria, including acceptable hemoglobin levels (Hb ≥ 14 g/dL for males and ≥ 12 g/dL for females). Enrolled participants undergo blood sampling for complete blood count (CBC) and reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (RET-He) using the Atellica HEMA 580 automated analyzer. Serum ferritin is assessed on the ADVIA Centaur XPT platform, alongside serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), calculated transferrin saturation (TSAT), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Participants are evaluated for latent/subclinical iron deficiency and followed up at their subsequent donation visit (90 days for males and 120 days for females). |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve of RET-He for Detecting Iron Deficiency
The Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC-ROC) will assess the diagnostic accuracy of Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent (RET-He, measured in pg via the Atellica HEMA 580 analyzer) in identifying iron deficiency among accepted blood donors. Iron deficiency is defined using reference biochemical markers, including serum ferritin (measured via the ADVIA Centaur XPT analyzer) and transferrin saturation (TSAT), in the context of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels to account for inflammation. The AUC-ROC score ranges from 0.5 (discrimination no better than chance) to 1.0 (perfect diagnostic discrimination).
Measured: Baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Oct 2026
- Study startNov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionNov 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Iron DeficiencyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Assiut UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Assiut University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Tasneem Ashraf AbdelHafiz, Assiut University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07861607
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RET-He in Donor Iron Status
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 1 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 6 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No