Risk factors of viral hepatitis: yet to explore

The safety of donated blood is the most vital concern of a blood transfusion organization. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening for blood transfusion products has gained more importance where knowing the prevalence rate will help health policy makers. In this paper, we will evaluate the prevalence of viral infection in donated blood in the province of Qazvin in 2009.

This study has been conducted using a registration system of computerized records for donors in Qazvin in 2009 using the consensus mode on 20,591 blood donors. The results of their HBV, HCV, and HIV viral markers were evaluated and analyzed using the chi square statistical test.

The prevalence rate of HBV, HCV, and HIV viral markers using the ELISA primary test in the individuals studied has been 0.28%, 1.59% and 0.1%, respectively, and on the basis of their confirmatory tests, 0.23%, 0.17% and 0%, respectively. There was no significant statistical difference in their infection rate on the basis of sex and marital status. Regular donors (46.85%) had a smaller infection rate compared to others (P<0.005). There was a significant statistical difference in the rate of prevalence of infection for hepatitis B and C in the regular donors compared to first-time donors.

Considering the lower prevalence of viral markers in regular donors it is recommended that more use be made of them for blood donation.