Screening for Haemoglobin Variants in Blood Donors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

This study conducts haemoglobin variant screening in blood donors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, to assess the frequency of variant haemoglobins in the donor pool and their implications for transfusion safety. Transfusion of blood from donors with haemoglobin variants such as HbAS or HbSC may pose risks to vulnerable recipients, particularly neonates and patients with sickle cell disease, and warrants systematic screening. A cross-sectional study enrolled 500 consecutive voluntary blood donors over five months. Haemoglobin variant screening was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on all donor samples. Standard blood group typing and infectious disease screening were conducted concurrently. Results identified HbAA in 74.8 percent, HbAS in 20.2 percent, HbAC in 3.0 percent, HbSC in 0.8 percent, and HbCC in 0.4 percent of donors. HbSS and rare variants accounted for the remainder. The 20.2 percent HbAS prevalence in donors underscores the importance of genotype-informed blood matching, particularly for paediatric and haematology wards. Currently, UITH does not systematically report donor haemoglobin variant data to clinical teams. The study recommends mandatory HPLC-based haemoglobin typing for all blood donors, integration of variant data into the blood bank information system, and preferential use of HbAA units for high-risk recipients at UITH. Keywords: haemoglobin variants, blood donors, HPLC, transfusion safety, Ilorin.