Patterns of infections among blood donors in a tertiary care centre: a retrospective study.
BACKGROUND
Transfusion-transmitted infections continue to be a threat to safe transfusion practices. We analysed the prevalence and patterns of co-infections among voluntary and replacement donors.


METHODS
Blood donations collected over a 5-year period were studied for the type of donation (voluntary or replacement), number of seroreactive cases and the number, type and distribution of co-infections.


RESULTS
Of the 42 439 units of blood collected over a 5-year period, 19 118 (45%) were from voluntary and 23 321 (55%) from replacement donors. There were 1603 seroreactive cases (3.8%). These included 250 with HIV (0.6%), 734 with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg; 1.7%), 337 with hepatitis C virus (HCV; 0.8%) and 282 (0.7%) with VDRL (Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory) reactivity. Twenty-three (0.05%) of these had > or = 2 seroreactive infections; 20 of these were in replacement donors and only 3 in voluntary donors and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.005). Among HIV seropositive donors, there were 4 seroreactive for syphilis and 5 for HBsAg. Among HIV seronegative donors, 5 were seroreactive for HBsAg and VDRL, 4 for HCV and VDRL, and 2 for HBsAg and HCV. One person was seroreactive for HIV, HBsAg and VDRL. The multiple infection rate showed a decreasing trend over the years.


CONCLUSIONS
Multiple infections pose a small but definite risk to the recipients of blood products. Voluntary donations are safer as compared with replacement ones and need to be encouraged.
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32A, Chandigarh 160047, India. docvpsingh@yahoo.co.in
Gagandeep
G
Kaur
Sabita
S
Basu
Ravneet
R
Kaur
Paramjit
P
Kaur
Shailja
S
Garg
D001782:Blood Donors; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies