Risk factor analysis of hepatitis C virus seropositivity in Iranian blood donors: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND

Due to blood screening and blood donor selection, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is expected to be lower among blood donors compared to the general population. The effective control of blood-transmitted infectious diseases should be one of the goals of public health. Thus, this case-control study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of HCV in a representative sample of blood donors in Iran.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A case-control study was conducted on HCV-negative and on serologically confirmed HCV-positive donors across the country from 2009 to 2013. Univariate logistic regression, multiple logistic regression, and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the risk factors in first-time blood donors (FTs) and repeat blood donors (RDs) independently.

RESULTS

A total of 970 cases and 1542 controls were selected from the cohort of Iranian blood donors registered in the Iran Blood Transfusion Organization. Intravenous (IV) drug abuse (ORFT , 6.42; 95% CI, 3.34-12.34; and ORRD , 27.62; 95% CI, 12.58-60.62), living with an IV drug abuser (ORFT , 3.47; 95% CI, 1.26-9.55; and ORRD , 6.95; 95% CI, 1.54-31.34), prison history (ORFT , 2.4; 95% CI, 1.48-3.88; and ORRD , 2.42; 95% CI, 1.38-4.27), sharing personal razors (ORFT , 2.00; 95% CI, 1.01-3.96; and ORRD , 5.62; 95% CI, 2.65-11.89), and medical exposure (ORFT , 1.97; 95% CI, 1.15-3.37; and ORRD , 2.19; 95% CI, 1.27-3.76) were significant independent risk factors in both types of blood donation.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this analytic study on HCV exposure in Iranian blood donors conforms to those of international studies. Behavioral and medical factors should be examined in the donor health screening process.