title: Prevalence of Chagas disease in blood donors at the Uberaba Regional Blood Center, Brazil, from 1995 to 2009.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A retrospective study was conducted to assess the occurrence of blood donations that were ineligible due to Chagas disease infection from 1995 to 2009 at the Uberaba Regional Blood Center (HRU), Brazil, verify the tendency of this ineligibility, and describe the epidemiologic profile of the donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective studies of serological ineligibility due to Chagas disease, statistical analysis by means of the chi-square test and odds ratio, study of the tendencies using a dispersion graph and the linear correlation coefficient (r) were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the period under study, a 0.2% serum prevalence of ineligibility due to Chagas disease was found, with a significant drop in ineligible donations from 2001 to 2009. Among the serum positive-donors, there was a significant predominance among those aged 30 years or above and non-single individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show a rate of occurrence that is lower than that described in literature, as well as a progressive drop during the 15 years under assessment. Such results are a consequence of systematic combat of the vector since the 70s and the progressive and consistent increase of returning donors, resulting in a drop of the contamination risk factor by means of blood transfusion and in the improvement of the quality of hemotherapy practices in the HRU.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG.
authors.forename: Laryssa Manso de
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Nathália Passos
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Valdirene de Fátima
authors.initials: Vde F
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Gustavo Alves
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Pimenta
authors.forename: Helio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moraes-Souza
authors.forename: Paulo Roberto Juliano
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult