Scientists from Ottawa Hospital found that the gender of the blood donor did not affect the survival of the recipient. The results of the research were published at: New England Journal of Medicine.
Some previous observational studies have shown that blood from women may be associated with a higher risk of death among recipients than blood from men. However, the data were inconsistent and could not be considered conclusive because they were derived from observational studies.
The scientists analyzed data from more than 8,700 patients as part of a large clinical trial. They enrolled every adult patient in an Ottawa hospital who might need a transfusion during surgery or in the hospital. They were then randomly distributed to obtain male or female blood.
The study found no statistically significant difference in overall survival between male and female recipients. Scientists noted that there is no obstacle for women who want to be blood donors.