Seroincidence of Hepatitis B Virus among Korean Blood Donors / 대한수혈학회지

BACKGROUND: Seroincidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among Korean blood donors has not been reported. This study was conducted to calculate the seroincidence of HBV among blood donors and to estimate the risk of post-transfusion hepatitis B by donated blood in window period of infection. METHODS: HBV seroincidence was calculated among repeat-donors who had donated from Nov. 1994 through Dec. 1996. To calculate the person-years, the database of the Korean National Red Cross was used in which results for HBsAg enzyme immunoassay were filed up. The observed incidence was adjusted by interdonation interval of incident cases, who were defined as donors showing seroconversion. The risk of post-transfusion hepatitis B by donated bloods in window period of infection was estimated. RESULTS: HBV seroincidence was estimated to be 180.85/100,000 person-years. This was adjusted as 602.83/100,000 person-years by considering interdonation intervals. The risk of post-transfusion hepatitis B was estimated to be 974 units per one million of whole blood units due to be in window period of infection. CONCLUSION: The estimated seroincidence of HBV among Korean blood donors and thereby the risk of HBV transmission by donated bloods in window period of infection was about 50 to 60 times higher than those of Japan and United States of America.

Seroincidence of Hepatitis B Virus among Korean Blood Donors

BACKGROUND: Seroincidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among Korean blood donors has not been reported. This study was conducted to calculate the seroincidence of HBV among blood donors and to estimate the risk of post-transfusion hepatitis B by donated blood in window period of infection. METHODS: HBV seroincidence was calculated among repeat-donors who had donated from Nov. 1994 through Dec. 1996. To calculate the person-years, the database of the Korean National Red Cross was used in which results for HBsAg enzyme immunoassay were filed up. The observed incidence was adjusted by interdonation interval of incident cases, who were defined as donors showing seroconversion. The risk of post-transfusion hepatitis B by donated bloods in window period of infection was estimated. RESULTS: HBV seroincidence was estimated to be 180.85/100,000 person-years. This was adjusted as 602.83/100,000 person-years by considering interdonation intervals. The risk of post-transfusion hepatitis B was estimated to be 974 units per one million of whole blood units due to be in window period of infection. CONCLUSION: The estimated seroincidence of HBV among Korean blood donors and thereby the risk of HBV transmission by donated bloods in window period of infection was about 50 to 60 times higher than those of Japan and United States of America.(Korean J Blood Transfusion 10(1): 1-4, 1999)

Detection Rate of Hepatitis B Virus DNA among Blood Donors showing HBsAg Positivity or Negativity and relatedness with other hepatitis B viral markers / 대한수혈학회지

BACKGROUND: Serologic assay for the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) have been used routinely in the screening of blood donors in Korea since 1973. However some investigators have reported the presence of HBV DNA in HBsAg negative blood. So this study is designed to determine the detection rate of HBV DNA according to various patterns of HBV markers in Korean blood donors. METHODS: The presence of HBV DNA in plasma from 469 donors was determined by polymerase chain reaction using commercial kit (Bioneer HBV Detection Kit, Bioneer Corp., Chungbuk, Korea). 289 donors showing all negative results by donor screening tests and 120 donors showing positive results only in HBsAg test and 60 donors showing abnormal result only in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test (> or =65 IU/L) were included in this study. Other markers for HBV infection such as anti-HBsAb, anti-HBcAb, HBeAg were also tested. RESULTS: 65 (54%) of 120 donors with positive for HBsAg and 5 (1.7%) of 289 donors without abnormal results in screening tests and 3 (5.0%) of 60 donors with elevated ALT were found to have HBV DNA in their plasma. Among 54 cases showing HBsAg-positive/HBeAg-positive, 52 cases (96%) were found to have HBV DNA. HBV markers in 5 cases showing HBsAg-negative/HBV DNA-positive were as follows: 2 (1.3%) among 159 cases showing anti-HBs-positive/anti-HBc-negative and 1 (20%) among 5 cases showing anti-HBs-negative/anti-HBc-positive and 1 (1.8%) among 55 cases showing anti-HBs-positive/anti-HBc-positive and 1 (1.5%) among 65 cases showing no viral markers. 3 cases with HBV DNA among elevated ALT groups were positive only in anti-HBs test. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that serological markers for HBV infection are insufficient to guarantee the safety of donated blood. To improve the safety, it may be suggested that (1) donors with history of viral hepatitis or with history of HBsAg positivity shoud be indefinitely deferred from donation, (2) blood collected from donors who have showed HBsAg positive result at previous donation shoud be discarded, (3) HBsAg-negative /anti-HBs-negative /anti-HBc-positive blood should be discarded, (4) ALT screening should be continuously done because it could screen out HBsAg-negative /HBV DNA-positive blood irrespective of anti-HBc result, (5) HBV detction kit that can also detect HBV mutant shoud be developed, (6) governmental support for HBV vaccination program shoud be done especially for recruits.