The safety of weekly plateletpheresis: effect on the donors' lymphocyte population.

Ten normal donors were monitored before, during, and after ten weekly donations of platelet concentrates prepared using the Haemonetics Model 30 blood processor. Analysis of these data indicates about a 20 per cent decrease of lymphocytes, with B cells being significantly decreased in half of these patients. While coincident immunoglobulin deficiencies did not develop in this short-term study, it is presumed that these would occur with a prolongation of platelet donations, as has been noted in previous studies. Additional studies are indicated to further delineate the lymphocyte depletion in normal platelet donors.