Comparison of Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Between Frequent and Infrequent Blood Donors

Iron has been proposed to contribute to atherogenesis in humans by facilitating the oxidation of lipoproteins. This observational study will evaluate the association between frequency of blood donation - expected to be associated with relatively reduced body iron stores in frequent donors - and carotid atherosclerosis. The primary outcome variable will be whether the presence and extent of asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis as measured by ultrasound is greater in infrequent (less than or equal to 1 donations/year greater than or equal to 5 years) vs. frequent (greater than or equal to 4 donations/year greater than or equal to 5 years) blood donors. Body iron stores, lipid and hemostatic parameters, nitric oxide formation, inflammatory parameters, and markers of vascular oxidative stress will be analyzed as secondary outcome measures. Laboratory analysis and ultrasound testing will be performed blinded to the patient's phlebotomy and iron status. Sixty frequent (n=40 males greater than 40 y/o, n=20 females greater than 50 y/o) and 60 infrequent (n=40 males greater than 40 y/o, n=20 females greater than 50 y/o) blood donors will be recruited for this study from the Department of Transfusion Medicine, W. G. Magnuson Clinical Center. All donors will be assessed for study eligibility and cardiovascular risks during the screening visit. The presence of atherosclerotic lesions by carotid ultrasound and secondary outcome parameters will be assessed during a second visit.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

Iron has been proposed to contribute to atherogenesis in humans by facilitating the oxidation of lipoproteins. This observational study will evaluate the association between frequency of blood donation - expected to be associated with relatively reduced body iron stores in frequent donors - and carotid atherosclerosis. The primary outcome variable will be whether the presence and extent of asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis as measured by ultrasound is greater in infrequent (less than or equal to 1 donations/year greater than or equal to 5 years) vs. frequent (greater than or equal to 4 donations/year greater than or equal to 5 years) blood donors. Body iron stores, lipid and hemostatic parameters, nitric oxide formation, inflammatory parameters, and markers of vascular oxidative stress will be analyzed as secondary outcome measures. Laboratory analysis and ultrasound testing will be performed blinded to the patient's phlebotomy and iron status. Sixty frequent (n=40 males greater than 40 y/o, n=20 females greater than 50 y/o) and 60 infrequent (n=40 males greater than 40 y/o, n=20 females greater than 50 y/o) blood donors will be recruited for this study from the Department of Transfusion Medicine, W. G. Magnuson Clinical Center. All donors will be assessed for study eligibility and cardiovascular risks during the screening visit. The presence of atherosclerotic lesions by carotid ultrasound and secondary outcome parameters will be assessed during a second visit.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment

120

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • ADULT
  • OLDER_ADULT
  • CHILD

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Age greater than or equal to 40 years for males and greater than or equal to 50 years for females.

Standard eligibility criteria for blood donation, per guidelines established by the Food and Drug Administration and the American Association of Blood Banks.

Ability to provide consent after full information is provided.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Pregnancy or lactation.

Patients with clinically significant dementia or psychiatric disturbances, including alcohol and substance abuse.

Presence of the following American Heart Association cardiovascular risks: diabetes mellitus, hypertension (systolic greater than 140 mmHg, diastolic greater than 90 mmHg), smoking (greater than 10 cigarettes/day), high density lipoprotein cholesterol less than 35 mg/dL, hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol greater than 240 mg/dL), family history of premature coronary heart disease.

Anticoagulant, thrombolytic, hemorrheologic and/or antiplatelet agents (within the last 10 days).

Any other condition or therapy which in the opinion of the investigators may pose a risk to the patient or confound the results of the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 1997

Study Completion

May 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 3, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 3, 1999

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

November 4, 1999

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

March 4, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2008

Last Verified

May 1, 2002

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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