title: [Blood donors with positive HBsAg in Asturias: its current prevalence and significance].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present study was to know the current prevalence of HBsAg positivity in Asturias blood donors and to carry out a clinical study of the carriers of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) accidentally detected in a blood donation program.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study of incidence and prevalence of HBsAg positivity in blood donations performed in Asturias over two years from October 1989 and 1991 was carried out and the epidemiologic, clinical, and analytical characteristics, as well as histologic liver lesions in the HBsAg positive cases were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 42,789 blood donors during this above mentioned period in Asturias 119 cases of HBsAg positivity were found, representing a prevalence of 0.16% of the donations and 0.28% of the donors, generally new donors (95.8%) with a prevalence of 1.2% in this subgroup. No risk factors or known source of contagion were found in 43.6% of the cases and in most occasions the donors were asymptomatic HBsAg carriers (96.5%) with normal transaminases (87.3%) with 4.6% of the cases being HBeAg positive and 3.5% being mutant "e minus" carriers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of HBsAg was almost limited to new donors with a higher prevalence being observed with respect to other regions. Most of the cases may be considered as "apparently healthy" and in the group with positive replicative markers a similar number of positive HBeAg carriers and "e minus mutants" were present.
authors.affiliation: Seccion de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital de Covadonga.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suárez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riestra
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Navascués
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Sotorrío
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tévar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
vernacular_title: Donantes de sangre con HBsAg positivo en Asturias: prevalencia actual y su significado.