Jagjeewan Ram1, Namrata Nigam2, Aparna Singh3, Lubna Khan4
BACKGROUND
The primary aspect of blood transfusion lies in the availability of blood and blood
components which are tested and reported negative for transfusion transmitted
infections (TTI’s). The increased seroprevalence of TTI’s indicate their
prevalence in general public. The study was conducted to analyse the increasing
seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) over a period of 3 years. The
objectives of the study determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B (HBV),
hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among the voluntary
blood donors at a tertiary care hospital & associated blood bank.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study was done at the Department of Transfusion Medicine,
GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, over a period of 3 years from July
2017 to June 2020. The samples collected were screened by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests.
RESULTS
A total of 69561 blood units were collected during this 3-year study from July
2017 to June 2020. Of all the blood bags screened, the highest prevalence was
seen for HBV followed by HCV and HIV. 949 (1.4 %) were reactive for HBV, 75
(0.1 %) were reactive for HIV and 332 (0.5 %) were reactive for HCV. The
results show a remarkable increase in the seropositivity for hepatitis C infection.
CONCLUSIONS
The seroprevalence of HCV has seen an increase in case load over the years as
compared to HBV and HIV. This increase in case volume is indicative of
impending liver diseases progressing to chronic stage over the years. Thus, it is
imperative to create awareness in the general population to help reduce the risk
factors responsible for HCV infection.
