Prevalence of hepatitis B and C and blood donors.

OBJECTIVE: Screening for hepatitis B and C is routinely carried out in the blood banks. The purpose of this study is to compare the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and anti hepatitis C among Saudi and non-Saudi blood donors.
METHODS: All the blood donors visiting King Fahad Specialist Hospital were screened by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay technique for hepatitis B surface antigen and anti hepatitis C. Donors with any history of jaundice in the past were eliminated from the study.
RESULTS: Egyptians showed a very high prevalence of Hepatitis C. Saudis had a higher prevalence of hepatitis B compared to hepatitis C.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hepatitis B and C among Saudis of Qaseem region is low, while for Egyptians the results correspond to previous studies.