N. Irani-hakime et al., Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus among blood donors in Lebanon, 1997-2000, CLIN LAB H, 23(5), 2001, pp. 317-323
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in many individuals is asymptomat
ic and the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) among b
lood donors in Lebanon is scarce. This study aimed to address the prevalenc
e of anti-HCV in 8700 blood donors, the data obtained was compared to other
world regions. Between 1997 and 2000, 8700 blood donors were screened for
the presence of anti-HCV in their sera. Initially reactive specimens were r
etested in duplicate, and repeatedly positive samples were subsequently ret
ested by a third generation microplate enzyme immunoassay. Of the 8700 bloo
d donors screened, 51 were confirmed positive for anti-HCV, giving a preval
ence rate of 0.6%. While there was no difference in anti-HCV prevalence in
relation to age or gender, higher rates were seen in non-Lebanese compared
to Lebanese subjects (6.17% vs. 0.48%, P < 0.001). None of the anti-HCV pos
itive individuals had an identifiable risk factor for contracting HCV (intr
avenous drug user, prior transfusion, etc.), and their transaminases were c
omparable to anti-HCV-negative donors, suggesting that HCV-positive donors
were asymptomatic. These results demonstrate low prevalence of anti-HCV amo
ng Lebanese blood donors, which was comparable to those established for Wes
tern countries.