Journal of Blood Disorders & Transfusion

Abstract

Seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV and Syphilis Markers among Blood Donors at Suez Canal University Hospital Blood Bank

Hesham A Nada and Mona Atwa

Background; The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV), anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV), and VDRL in blood donors in Suez Canal University hospital, blood bank in Ismailia. Methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive study. All blood donors’ records from January 1996 to December 2011 were included; we analyzed data from 149,381 blood samples collected. Data were evaluated with SPSS and differences in prevalence, gender, and residence were calculated using the x2 test. Results: The seroprevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV were 2.3% (3440) and 7.2% (10729), respectively. The annual Anti-HCV prevalence dropped significantly (P<0.0001) from 14.9% (1996) to 3.5% (2011) whereas there was mild variation in the prevalence of HBsAg, throughout the study period, that was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Both HBsAg and anti-HCV showed higher prevalence among male (2.3%, 7.3%, respectively) and rural donors (2.6%, 7.9%, respectively) more than female (2.1%, 6.6%, respectively) and urban donors (2%, 6.6%, respectively). We did not have any positive HIV or syphilis cases in our study. Conclusion: It is of utmost importance to continue screening donated blood with highly sensitive and specific tests to ensure the safety of blood for recipient.