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Risk factor analysis of hepatitis C virus seropositivity in Iranian blood donors: a case-control study
Negar Rezaei1, Sedigheh Amini-Kafiabad2, Mahtab Maghsudlu1
1Department of Research and Education and the, Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) risk factors in Iranian blood donors include intravenous drug use, living with an abuser, prison history, sharing razors, and medical exposure. These findings highlight the need for thorough donor screening.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence is typically lower in blood donors due to screening.
- Effective control of blood-transmitted diseases is a key public health objective.
- This study investigated HCV risk factors in Iranian blood donors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and evaluate the risk factors associated with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among blood donors in Iran.
- To differentiate risk factors between first-time and repeat blood donors.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed, comparing HCV-positive donors (cases) with HCV-negative donors (controls).
- Data were collected from Iranian blood donors between 2009 and 2013.
- Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess risk factors in first-time and repeat donors.
Main Results:
- Significant risk factors for HCV in both first-time and repeat donors included intravenous (IV) drug abuse, living with an IV drug abuser, prison history, sharing personal razors, and medical exposure.
- Intravenous drug abuse showed particularly high odds ratios in both first-time (OR=6.42) and repeat donors (OR=27.62).
- Sharing personal razors also presented substantial risk (OR=5.62 in repeat donors).
Conclusions:
- The identified risk factors for HCV infection in Iranian blood donors align with international findings.
- Behavioral factors, such as IV drug use and sharing personal items, are significant contributors to HCV transmission.
- Enhanced health screening protocols for blood donors should incorporate detailed examination of behavioral and medical risk factors to improve blood safety.
Background:
Due to blood screening and blood donor selection, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is expected to be lower among blood donors compared to the general population. The effective control of blood-transmitted infectious diseases should be one of the goals of public health. Thus, this case-control study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of HCV in a representative sample of blood donors in Iran.
Study Design And Methods:
A case-control study was conducted on HCV-negative and on serologically confirmed HCV-positive donors across the country from 2009 to 2013. Univariate logistic regression, multiple logistic regression, and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the risk factors in first-time blood donors (FTs) and repeat blood donors (RDs) independently.
Results:
A total of 970 cases and 1542 controls were selected from the cohort of Iranian blood donors registered in the Iran Blood Transfusion Organization. Intravenous (IV) drug abuse (ORFT , 6.42; 95% CI, 3.34-12.34; and ORRD , 27.62; 95% CI, 12.58-60.62), living with an IV drug abuser (ORFT , 3.47; 95% CI, 1.26-9.55; and ORRD , 6.95; 95% CI, 1.54-31.34), prison history (ORFT , 2.4; 95% CI, 1.48-3.88; and ORRD , 2.42; 95% CI, 1.38-4.27), sharing personal razors (ORFT , 2.00; 95% CI, 1.01-3.96; and ORRD , 5.62; 95% CI, 2.65-11.89), and medical exposure (ORFT , 1.97; 95% CI, 1.15-3.37; and ORRD , 2.19; 95% CI, 1.27-3.76) were significant independent risk factors in both types of blood donation.
Conclusion:
The findings of this analytic study on HCV exposure in Iranian blood donors conforms to those of international studies. Behavioral and medical factors should be examined in the donor health screening process.
