Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection among blood donors in southern Brazil: a case-control study

BMC Gastroenterology

Sandra Costa Fuchs¹  Ajacio BM Brandão² 

[1] Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil;Department of Internal Medicine, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

关键词: risk factors;    incarceration;    blood transfusion;    intravenous drug abuse;    blood donors;    Hepatitis C;   

Others  :  1215907
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-230X-2-18

 received in 2002-04-30, accepted in 2002-08-08,  发布年份 2002

【 摘 要 】

Background

In Brazil, it is estimated that between 2.5 and 4.9% of the general population present anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies, which corresponds to as many as 3.9 to 7.6 million chronic carriers. Chronic liver disease is associated with HCV infection in 20% to 58% of the Brazilian patients. The objective of this case-control study was to investigate the risk factors for presence of anti-HCV antibody in blood donors in southern Brazil.

Methods

One hundred and seventy eight blood donors with two positive ELISA results for anti-HCV were cases, and 356 controls tested negative. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data concerning demographic and socioeconomic aspects, history of previous hepatitis infection, social and sexual behaviors, and number of donations. Variables were grouped into sets of hierarchical categories. Cases and controls were compared using logistic regression, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. The statistical significance of the associations was assessed through likelihood ratio tests based on a P value < 0.05.

Results

The prevalence of anti-HCV among blood donors was 1.1%. Most of the donors were white and males. In the multivariate analysis, independent predictors of anti-HCV positivity were: intravenous drug use, blood transfusion >10 years earlier, having had two to four sexually transmitted diseases, incarceration, tattooing, sex with a hepatitis B or C virus carrier or with intravenous drug users.

Conclusion

Intravenous drug use, blood transfusion, and tattooing were the main risk factors for anti-HCV positivity among blood donors from southern Brazil, but sexual HCV transmission should also be considered.

【 授权许可】

   
2002 Brandão and Costa Fuchs; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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