Hepatitis B Virus Markers among the Blood Donors in Medina Munawara

Abstract

Three hundred sixty-nine male blood donors from Medina Munawara were studied for hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers. Serologic evidence of exposure to HBV was noted in 48%. A majority of these individuals showed the presence of antibodies, and only 7.6% were documented as HBsAg carriers. The infection was usually caused by HBV subtype ay. A strong positive correlation existed between infection rate, age, and poor socioeconomic conditions. We presume that improvement in the socioeconomic conditions and timely vaccination may help in reducing the infection rate. The discovery of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by Blumberg et al 1 led to the recognition that blood or blood products of a healthy donor could be infectious. In order to avoid post-transfusion hepatitis, sensitive methods were developed to test the blood and blood products for hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers, and the prevalence of these markers was studied in various parts of the world. In Saudi Arabia several studies have been conducted to assess the prevalence of HBsAg among the healthy population. The results of these studies show that the rate varies from 2% to 20% depending on the detection method used and the population studied. [3][4][5] HBsAg is present in about 8% to 12% of the Saudi male blood donors in the Eastern Province and Riyadh, 6-8 while 20% to 26% of Saudi males in Gizan and Khaiber areas may be termed as carriers. 4,5 As variation exists in the rates of HBV infection in different parts of the country, the present study was undertaken to determine the frequency of HBV markers in the blood donors in Medina Munawara and to find the predominant HBsAg subtype (ad or ay) among the carriers.It has been suggested that in the absence of serologic markers for HBV, unexplained elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) could be due to the presence of non-A, non-B virus.9 Therefore, serum ALT levels were also determined in this study to assess the frequency of the non-A, non-B carrier state. Materials and MethodsDuring the period of October 1986 to March 1987 blood specimens were collected at the Central Blood Bank, Medina Munawara, on a random basis from 369 healthy blood donors, who were required by the Ministry of Interior to donate blood before they were issued a Saudi driver's license. Each donor completed a form to provide information pertaining to age, marital status, education, and nationality. Among the donors, 234 were Saudi nationals, while the non-Saudi group comprised 20 different nationalities. An aliquot of specimen was allowed to clot; serum was separated by centrifugation, and pending analysis, sera were stored frozen at -20°C. Estimation of ALT on these samples was carried out as early as possible, mostly within 1 week of collection.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers among blood donors in a tertiary hospital in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia

“…6,8 However several surveys of voluntary blood donors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have shown marked regional variations in the prevalence of HBV. [9][10][11][12] In the region of Tabuk, which occupies the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia, information on the epidemiology and prevalence of HBV infection among the different population groups is inadequate. Most of the previous studies in the region have been limited to children less than 12 years of age as part of national studies aiming at evaluating the efficacy of HBV vaccine.…”