Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
COVID-19 Seroprevalence Test for IgG Antibody Levels Among Healthy Donors Across Different Pandemic Phases in Jeddah
Published on: June 24, 2025
Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in multi-transfused patients in Colombia
Mauricio Beltrân1, Maria-Cristina Navas, Fernando De la Hoz
1Instituto National de Salud, Calle 26 # 51-60 CAN Zona 6, Bogota D.C., Colombia. mbeltrand@ins.gov.co
Insights
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection risk in multi-transfused patients was significantly reduced after 1995 due to improved blood donor screening. Transfusions before 1995 were a major risk factor for HCV infection.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology and Virology
- Public Health and Epidemiology
- Transfusion Medicine
Background:
- Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) poses a global public health challenge, particularly for individuals requiring frequent blood transfusions.
- HCV transmission is primarily linked to exposure to infected blood, making multi-transfused populations highly vulnerable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors associated with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection among 500 multi-transfused patients.
- To assess the prevalence of HCV infection in specific patient groups undergoing repeated transfusions.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted in Colombia between February and September 2003.
- Serum samples were analyzed for anti-HCV antibodies in patients with hemophilia, on hemodialysis, with acute bleeding, hematological disorders, or sickle cell disease/thalassemia.
Main Results:
- Overall HCV prevalence was 9.0%, with the highest rates in hemophilic patients (32.2%).
- Key risk factors identified included hemophilia, receiving transfusions before 1995, and receiving over 48 units of blood components.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed that transfusions prior to 1995 were the only significant independent risk factor for HCV infection.
Conclusions:
- HCV infection risk saw a threefold reduction between 1993 and 1995, coinciding with the introduction of serological screening for HCV in blood donors.
- By 1995, with 99% screening coverage, HCV infection rates were reduced by over 90%.
Background:
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a public health problem worldwide, with particular relevance in multi-transfused patients given that HCV is principally transmitted by exposure to infected blood.
Study Design:
Between February and September 2003 a cross-sectional study was carried out in four hospital centres in Bogotá and Medellin, Colombia, to determine the risk factors for HCV infection in 500 multi-transfused patients.
Results:
The study population was distributed in five groups: haemophilia, haemodyalsis, acute bleeding, ontological illnesses and sickle cell disease or thalassemia. Serum samples from patients were tested for HCV antibodies (Asxym, Abbott). An overall prevalence (9.0%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.4-11.6) (45/500) of HCV infection was found. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 32.2% of patients with haemophilia, 6.1% of patients undergoing haemodialysis, 7.1% of patients with sickle cell disease or thalassemia, 2.6% of patients with acute bleeding and 3.4% of patients with ontological or hematological diseases. The main risk factors associated with infection by HCV were: to be hemophilic (odds ratio, OR = 18.03; 95% Cl: 3.96-114.17), having received transfusions before 1995 (OR = 12.27; 95% Cl: 5.57-27.69), and having received more than 48 units of blood components (OR = 6.08; 95% CI: 3.06-12.1). In the multivariate analysis, only the year of transfusions (before 1995) remained significantly associated with risk of infection by HCV.
Conclusions:
The data show a 3-fold reduction in the infection risk between 1993 and 1995, when the serological screening for HCV in blood donors was being introduced. A reduction greater than 90% was achieved by 1995 when the screening coverage reached 99%.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Cytomegalovirus Disease
01:25Hepatitis
01:28Viral Hepatitis I: Introduction