Prevalence of and risk factors for hepatitis B and C infection among Mongolian blood donors.
BACKGROUND
Mongolia has one of the highest rates of viral hepatitis infections worldwide yet risk factors have been largely unstudied. This sentinel study of hepatitis infection in Mongolia determined the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) among a sample of blood donors and identified demographic and behavioral factors associated with hepatitis infection.


METHODS
Data were collected by interview from 923 Ministry of Health Blood Center donors between August 2004 and February 2005. The exposure variables collected included donor demographics and health and behavioral risk factors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses assessed the prevalence ratio of hepatitis infection for each exposure.


RESULTS
Of 923 donors, 72 tested positive for HBsAg (7.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.1%-9.7%), 89 donors tested positive for anti-HCV (9.6%; 95% CI, 7.8%-11.5%), and six (0.6%) tested positive for both HBsAg and anti-HCV. Prevalence of HBsAg was highest among donors 18 to 19 years and anti-HCV tended to be most prevalent among those more than 40 years of age. Both pregnancy and alcohol use were associated with seroprevalent anti-HCV.


CONCLUSIONS
This sentinel study of hepatitis prevalence among Mongolian blood donors sheds considerable light on the epidemiology of hepatitis virus infection as well as the sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors associated with infection. Young age (HBsAg) and pregnancy (anti-HCV) were significant risk factors for hepatitis virus infection, indicating that improvements in education, vaccination rates, and general infection control procedures in health care institutions may reduce behavioral and nosocomial transmission.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12144, USA. bxt07@health.state.ny.us
Boldtsetseg
B
Tserenpuntsag
Kenrad
K
Nelson
Ouynbileg
O
Lamjav
Wayne
W
Triner
Perry
P
Smith
Marilyn
M
Kacica
Louise-Anne
LA
McNutt
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008986:Mongolia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult