BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few studies have explored risk factors predicting hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in blood donors; their results are contradictory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between HCV infection and various risk factors in Canadian volunteer blood donors. METHODS: Four transfusion centers were involved in this case-control study. A total of 267 confirmed anti-HCV-positive blood donors were interviewed along with 1068 seronegative blood donors matched for sex, age, donation site, and date. Information was collected using a structured telephone interview. The main outcome measures were odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for various risk factors from univariate and multivariate analyses using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: By univariate analysis, 23 variables were associated with anti-HCV positivity. In the final multivariate analysis, only 5 factors remained independently predictive of HCV infection: previous intravenous drug use (OR, 127.5; 95% CI, 26.0-625.0), having lived in a prison or juvenile detention center (56.1; 11.4-275.7), previous blood transfusion (10.5; 4.7-23.2), sexual contact with an intravenous drug user (6.9; 3.1-15.2), and tattooing (5.7; 2.5-13). CONCLUSIONS: Most blood donors acquire infection by percutaneous exposure to contaminated blood. A role for sexual transmission is suggested by this study.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few studies have explored risk factors predicting hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in blood donors; their results are contradictory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between HCV infection and various risk factors in Canadian volunteer blood donors. METHODS: Four transfusion centers were involved in this case-control study. A total of 267 confirmed anti-HCV-positive blood donors were interviewed along with 1068 seronegative blood donors matched for sex, age, donation site, and date. Information was collected using a structured telephone interview. The main outcome measures were odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for various risk factors from univariate and multivariate analyses using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: By univariate analysis, 23 variables were associated with anti-HCV positivity. In the final multivariate analysis, only 5 factors remained independently predictive of HCV infection: previous intravenous drug use (OR, 127.5; 95% CI, 26.0-625.0), having lived in a prison or juvenile detention center (56.1; 11.4-275.7), previous blood transfusion (10.5; 4.7-23.2), sexual contact with an intravenous drug user (6.9; 3.1-15.2), and tattooing (5.7; 2.5-13). CONCLUSIONS: Most blood donors acquire infection by percutaneous exposure to contaminated blood. A role for sexual transmission is suggested by this study.
Authors: Michel Alary; Jean R Joly; Jean Vincelette; René Lavoie; Bruno Turmel; Robert S Remis Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2005-03 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Anne M Guiltinan; Zhanna Kaidarova; Brian Custer; Jennie Orland; Angela Strollo; Sherri Cyrus; Michael P Busch; Edward L Murphy Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2008-01-17 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: S Zou; J Zhang; M Tepper; A Giulivi; B Baptiste; G Predy; D Poliquin; M Morin; D Jones; J Lowewen; M Ogonowski; S Moses; L Elliott Journal: Can J Infect Dis Date: 2001-11
Authors: Mark H Kuniholm; Malvina Aladashvili; Carlos Del Rio; Ketavan Stvilia; Nino Gabelia; Rohit A Chitale; Tengiz Tsertsvadze; Kenrad E Nelson Journal: Subst Use Misuse Date: 2008 Impact factor: 2.164