Post Donation Prevalence of Major Transfusion- Transmissible Infectious Agents among Blood Donors: A Six Year Experience, 2007 - 2012

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the post donation prevalence of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and syphilis infections, and co-infections among blood donors from 2007 to 2012 in a Lagos tertiary hospital. A retrospective analysis of consecutive blood donors' records was carried out. Records of post donation screening results for transfusion transmissible infectious agents were reviewed. Information about seropositivity for HIV antibodies, Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV) and Treponema Pallidum antibodies were extracted from the blood donor registers at the centre. A total of 24,303 consecutive blood donors' records were reviewed. The donors comprised 23,031 (94.76%) males and 1,272 (5.23%) females. The age of the blood donors ranged from 18 to 61 years with a mean of32 ± 7.85. The prevalence of markers of infection for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis fluctuated through the study period. The overall prevalence of serological evidence of infection with at least one pathogen was 917 (3.77%) while for multiple pathogens was 18 (0.07%). The prevalence of markers of infection for HIV,HBV, HCV, syphilis were 1.06%, 1.45%, 0.83% and 0.49% respectively. The co- infection rates among donors were; HBV/HCV and HIV/HCV 5 (0.02%) each, syphilis/HBV 0.016%, while syphilis/HCV and syphilis/HIV were 0.004% each. The overall post donation prevalence of transfusion- transmissible infectious agents was 3. 77% while for co- infections was 0.07% among blood donors. The prevalence of markers of infection for these infectious agents also fluctuated through 2007 to 2012.

Keywords: blood donors, transfusion- transmissible infections, Nigeria