ABSTRACT
Background: Blood is a scarce, but lifesaving resource; it is also the most efficient vehicle for the transmission of Hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hence there is a need for accurate screening of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among blood donors. The present study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of HBsAg, among the voluntary and replacement blood donors in the blood bank of a tertiary care referral teaching hospital in Andhra Pradesh. Methods: This is a prospective cross sectional analytical study conducted over a period of one and a half year. A total of 9909 donor blood samples were screened for HBsAg status using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The reactive samples have been tested in duplicate using different kit. The samples reactive in all three times were considered positive. The samples which were reactive only in first test were labeled as false positive. Results: Out of 9909 blood donors screened, 255 (2.6%) were initially reactive and 219 (2.2%) were reactive after triple testing. Conclusions: Our study showed similar HBsAg seroprevalence as that reported by World Health Organization (WHO) statistics in intermediate zone. But there was a mild increase in HBsAg seroprevalence among donors belonging to rural areas in our region compared to the urban donors.
ABSTRACT
Background: ABO blood group has been found to be associated with the risk of several diseases. Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are also the major health problems worldwide. This work was therefore aimed at assessing the ABO and Rh blood group antigens and its association with HBV and HCV seroreactive status among healthy blood donors. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional analytical study carried out in the department of Transfusion Medicine of a tertiary care teaching hospital blood bank for a period of 6 years (January 2009 to December 2014). Data retrieved from blood bank records included the donors’ ABO group, Rh type and the result of HBV, HCV serology. Results: A total number of 41652 blood donors were registered and screened during the study period. The commonest blood group was O constituting 41.5% followed by B-32.6%, A-19.8%, AB-6.1% and Bombay-0.02%. Rh-D positive donors were 92.9% and remaining 7.1% were Rh-D negative. The overall prevalence of HBV and HCV were 2.4% and 0.4% respectively. Among total HBV and HCV seroreactive donors 41.7% and 37.9% were O blood group, B-30.9%, 32.7% A-21.6%, 21.2% and AB-5.7%, 8% respectively. Among the total HBV and HCV seroreactive group, 93.7% and 93.1% had Rh-D positive blood group and remaining 6.3% and 6.9% had Rh-D negative blood group respectively. Conclusion: In this study conducted to determine the predominant blood group antigen and its association with HBV and HCV seroreactivity, there was no association between blood group antigens with these infections.