HCV Infection Frequency and Trends Among Voluntary Blood Donors in Cluj County (Romania) Between 2006 and 2011

In Europe a wide variation in HCV prevalence between countries was described, ranging from 0.1 to 6.0%, higher in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe, which may threaten the biological safety of donated blood. The HCV frequency among blood donors in Romania has has made the object of only very few published studies. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of anti-HCV antibodies in blood donors from Cluj County (Romania) and its trend, in the period 2006-2011.

Between 2006-2011 all donors, new and repeat donors were screened for hepatitis C virus infections using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Reactive results were confirmed using radioimmunoblotting assay (RIBA). The frequency and trends were analyzed using the T-test and X(2)-test.

There were 95,181 donors tested in the blood transfusion centre (BTC) laboratories between 2006-2011. The overall prevalence was 0.254 % (95% CI 0.222-0.286). The prevalence rates of anti-HCV antibodies increased with age between both genders, being higher among women, starting to decrease after the age of 51.

The results of this study demonstrate a high HCV prevalence in donations from 2006 to 2011, as compared to other countries in Europe, especially among first time blood donors, an infection that might be a potential threat to blood safety.