Seroprevalence of hepatitis viruses and risk factors in blood donors of Veracruz, Mexico.

Nayali Lopez-Balderas,Mireya Camara,Elide Bravo,Pablo Hernandez-Romano

doi:10.3855/jidc.4812

Abstract

Hepatitis B and C are among the most important transfusion-transmitted infections and sources of liver diseases worldwide. In Veracruz, Mexico, liver diseases are important causes of mortality, and the prevalence reports of these viruses are scarce. This study sought to determine the prevalence of these infections in blood donors, in order to increase the safety of blood products in this region. A retrospective study was performed on blood donors who attended the Veracruz State Blood Transfusion Center from 2006 to 2010. All samples were screened for transfusion-transmitted infections. The prevalence rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were determined, and demographic data obtained from clinical records were used to evaluate risk factors. A total of 56,377 donors were serologically screened; of them, 403 were seropositive for HCV (357 men and 46 women), and 61 were positive for HBsAg (52 men and 9 women). The overall prevalence rates were 0.72% (0.63%-0.76%) for HCV and 0.11% (0.08%-0.14%) for HBsAg. The risk factors for HBsAg positivity were being a cattleman and living in the Huasteca Baja region, whereas those for HCV were being a fisherman, living in the Papaloapan region, and having an elementary-level or lower education. This is the first study to show that being a fisherman is a risk factor for HCV. The implementation of nucleic acid test technology will help to identify the real risks for transfusion-transmitted hepatitis C in Veracruz.

Highlights

Hepatitis B and C are among the most important transfusion-transmitted infections and sources of liver diseases worldwide
The donors were selected as candidates for blood donation, and the blood units were screened for transfusiontransmitted infections (TTIs) according to the official Mexican health regulations [18]
Important advances have been made in Veracruz with respect to reducing TTIs, perhaps explaining why the prevalence rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive blood donors obtained in the present study was lower even when compared to other national blood banks

Summary

Introduction

Hepatitis B and C are among the most important transfusion-transmitted infections and sources of liver diseases worldwide. Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are among the most important transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) and worldwide causes of liver disease [1,2]. Transmission can occur via parenteral (exposure to infected blood, serum, and body fluids) and non-parenteral (perinatal and sexual) routes, with the latter being more common for HBV than for HCV [3,4]. Both viruses may induce an acute phase and chronic liver disease. In Western countries, in contrast, there is a relatively low prevalence of HBV, and the main causes of HCC are HCV infection or alcoholic cirrhosis [6,7]

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