Implications and Considerations for Analysis of Inflammatory Markers in the Red Cell Concentrates of Borderline Diabetic Blood Donors

Storage lesions of blood products intended for transfusion have been shown to give rise to the accumulation of proin flammatory cytokines, which are known to cause transfusion associated adverse events and immunomodulatory effects. Regulations which determine the eligibility of blood donors do not take into consideration metabolic disorders such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), unless complications arise from said disorder. However, the increased levels of cytokines in T2DM classifies this condition as an inflammatory condition. This outcome dictates the need to investigate whether detected levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines due to inflammation combined with those present in red cell concentrates as a result of storage lesions may lead to undesirable outcomes in recipients who already have underlying inflammatory conditions. Due to the largely unavailable information on the subject, a few important considerations for undertaking such investigations have been summarised.