Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Infection Among Blood Donors in a Tribal-Preponderant State of India: A Seven-Year Retrospective Observational Study

TL;DR

This study found a 0.87% prevalence of hepatitis B among blood donors in a tribal-majority state in India over seven years.

Contribution

The study provides updated seroprevalence data for hepatitis B in blood donors from a tribal-preponderant region in India.

Findings

HBsAg positivity was 0.87% among 195,507 blood donors from 2016 to 2023.

Over 50% of all transfusion-transmitted infections were due to hepatitis B.

HBsAg positivity was higher in male donors and replacement donors.

Abstract

Background

Blood transfusion is an essential and lifesaving procedure for many acute and chronic diseases. Though saving millions of lives, it carries the risk of transfusion of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs), including hepatitis B. Detection of this infection prior to transfusion saves potentially vulnerable patients from an additional burden and prevents the further spread of disease.

Aim and objectives

Our present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in blood donors at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Jharkhand, a tribal-preponderant state of India.

Materials and methods

After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee, a retrospective observational study was conducted among the eligible blood donors visiting RIMS from April 2016 to March 2023. A total of 195,507 subjects were included in the study. All blood donation samples collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) vials were tested for five TTIs: human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2, HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), malaria and syphilis. HBV testing was conducted via chemiluminescence technique to check f or the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in plasma.

Results

Among the study sample of 195,507 donors, the prevalence of HBsAg positivity was 0.87%. Among all the TTIs, more than 50% (51.93%) were HBsAg positive. The positivity percentage was higher in male donors and HBsAg positivity rose with an increase in replacement donors.

Conclusions

HBV is a major health concern in developing countries such as India due to its high endemicity. Therefore, early detection of HBV carriers in the blood donor population helps in curbing the spread of further infection and it also helps policymakers to develop different health programs to reduce further incidence of the infection in the general population.