title: [Characteristics of corneal donors in the Cascavel Eye Bank: impact of the anti-HBc test for hepatitis B].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics of human ocular tissue donors from the Cascavel Eye Bank in the State of Paraná (PR) and investigate the impact of hepatitis B serologic test positivity on discarded ocular tissues.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of data collected between March 2006 and April 2007 at the Cascavel Eye Bank. Information such as age, gender, cause of death, time between death and enucleation, and serologic tests results was collected. Data were used to characterize the study population and stratified according to hepatitis B (anti-HBc) status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age of donors was 54.2 ± 20.6 years and a greater proportion of men (64,7%) was observed. Mean time between death and enucleation was 3.8 ± 2.4 hours, cardiovascular diseases were the main cause of death (34.5%). Positivity of anti-HBc and HBsAg tests was 47.4% and 1.5%, respectively. Hepatitis B was the main reason for discarding corneas. Donors whose serologic tests were positive for anti-HBc had higher mean age compared to those with negative tests (p<0.001). Only 0.8% of all donations tested positive for hepatitis C and donors with positive HIV test were not seen in our study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activities of the Cascavel Eye Bank significantly increased the availability of corneas for transplant in the State of Paraná. The main contraindication for availability of ocular tissues was positivity of serologic tests for anti-HBc. Biosafety studies should be performed in order to investigate the potential transmission of hepatitis B virus for donors with positive tests for anti-HBc. The inclusion of these donors would increase the number of corneas available for transplant.
authors.affiliation: Banco de Olhos de Cascavel, Rua Minas Gerais 1.986, Cascavel, PR, Brazil. cesar@hospitaldeolhos.com.br
authors.forename: Cesar Nobuo
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Shiratori
authors.forename: Flávio Eduardo
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Elcio Hideo
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000379:methods; D005125:Eye Banks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens