Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Mar;20(2):41-6.

Prevalence of hepatitis B and C in donated blood from the jazan region of saudi arabia

Saleh Mohammed Abdullah  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of hepatitis B and C in donated blood from the jazan region of saudi arabia

Saleh Mohammed Abdullah. Malays J Med Sci. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Infections caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are global public health problems. The safety of donated blood can be estimated by monitoring the prevalence of viral markers in the donor population. The present study was carried out in the Jazan region to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV among Saudi blood donors.

Methods: Over a period of six years (January 2004 to December 2009), a total of 29 949 blood units were collected from healthy voluntary and replacement native Saudi blood donors. The donated units were serologically screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), and antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). These data were then analysed.

Results: HBsAg was positive in 3.8% of the blood units that were collected, the blood units with anti-HCV seropositivity had the lowest prevalence (0.41%), and the prevalence of HBsAg was highest in the group that was > 46 years of age. A significant decline in the prevalence of HBV infection has been observed, from 5.6% in 2004 to 2.3% in 2009 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The present study showed that the prevalence of HBV and HCV was in a significant decline from 2004 to 2009, and the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV significantly increased with age.

Keywords: Jazan; Saudi Arabia; blood donors; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis C virus; prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Marcucci C, Madjdpour C, Spahn DR. Allogeneic blood transfusions: benefit, risks and clinical indications in countries with a low or high human development index. Br Med Bull. 2004;70(1):15–28. - PubMed
    1. Cerny A, Chisari FV. Pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C: immunology features of hepatic injury and viral persistence. Hepatology. 1999;30(3):595–601. - PubMed
    1. Mahoney FJ. Update on Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1999;12(2):351–366. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blumberg BS. Australia antigen and the biology of hepatitis B. Sci. 1977;197(4298):17–25. - PubMed
    1. Purcell RH. The discovery of the hepatitis viruses. Gastroenterology. 1993;104(4):955–963. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources