Hepatitis A Virus and Hepatitis E Virus Seroprevalence Among Blood Donors in Tehran, Iran.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Hepatitis E virus (HEV) are both transmitted by the fecal-oral route and are known as the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis in the world, especially in developing countries. There is a lack of updated data on HAV and HEV seroprevalence in Iran.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HAV and HEV among a group of blood donors in Tehran, Iran.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was performed from July 2014 to December 2014, on a total of 559 blood donors referred to the Tehran blood transfusion center. The serum samples were tested for antibodies to HAV and HEV, using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
In the present study, 536 (95.9%) cases were male and 23 (4.1%) female with mean age of 38 years. Out of 559 blood donors, 107 (19.1%) were first-time donors, 163 (29.2%) lapsed donors and 289 (51.7%) regular donors. Anti-HAV was found in 395 (70.7%) and anti-HEV in 45 (8.1%) of the blood donors. The HAV and HEV seroprevalence increased by age. There was no significant difference between genders in terms of anti-HAV and anti-HEV status. The HAV and HEV seroprevalence was significantly related to the level of education, where the donors with higher level of education had lower rate of HAV and HEV seroprevalence. The HAV and HEV seroprevalence was significantly higher in regular and lapsed donors than in first-time donors.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed that both HAV and HEV infections are still endemic in Iran.
Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Department of Medical Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Khashayar
K
Hesamizadeh
Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Middle East Liver Disease (MELD) Center, Tehran, IR Iran.
Heidar
H
Sharafi
Department of Medical Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Hossein
H
Keyvani
Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Middle East Liver Disease (MELD) Center, Tehran, IR Iran.
Seyed Moayed
SM
Alavian
Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Azar
A
Najafi-Tireh Shabankareh
Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, IR Iran.
Roghiyeh
R
Sharifi Olyaie
Middle East Liver Disease (MELD) Center, Tehran, IR Iran; Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, IR Iran.
Maryam
M
Keshvari
Blood Donors; Hepatitis A Virus; Hepatitis E Virus; Iran; Prevalence