title: A study-screening of blood donors for blood transmissible diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Blood donors are of voluntary and replacement type. All donors, especially voluntary, are considered as slow risk for seropositive status for Hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis. The present study endeavors to screen blood donors-a slow risk group and evaluate the resultant data.
  
  
  METHODS
  We screened 23,068 donors serologically over 2 years for the above blood transmissible diseases. Serum alanine aminotranferase (ALT) and bilirubin were evaluated as surrogate markers in hepatitis B and C positive donors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seroprevalence rates were found to be HIV (1.96 %), syphilis (2.15 %), hepatitis B (1.98 %) and hepatitis C (0.9 %). Majority donors were voluntary (70.37 %) and male (96.2 %). However seroprevalence rates showed no significant difference: voluntary (7.02 %), replacement (6.67 %) male (6.85 %) and female (6.95 %). HCV and HIV showed highest (29.6 %) while HBV and HCV (2.5 %) showed lowest concomitance. Serum ALT and bilirubin were not effective surrogate markers. No demographic or behavioral variable was found as a significant risk factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus, all donors need adequate privacy, information, counseling and motivation in order to reduce the seropositive rates in donors. Advent of sensitive tests renders surrogate markers redundant.
authors.affiliation: B.Y.L Nair charitable hospital and T. N. Medical college, Mumbai, India  ; Haji Ali Doctor's Quarters Haji Ali, Bldg 1, Flat 27, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, 400 034 India.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Shinde
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Puranik
keywords: Concomitance; Seroprevalence; Surrogate marker