Tattooing and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases in Brazil: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Matched Study

• Published in: European journal of epidemiology Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 441 - 449
• Main Authors: Sérgio de A. Nishioka, Gyorkos, T. W., Joseph, L., J.-P. Collet, MacLean, J. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Kluwer Academic Publishers 01.01.2003; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; AIDS; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Antibodies, Protozoan - immunology; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood; Blood donation; Blood Donors; Blood-Borne Pathogens; Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis; Brazil - epidemiology; Chagas disease; Chagas Disease - blood; Chagas Disease - epidemiology; Chagas Disease - transmission; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease; Disease transmission; Epidemiology; Female; Hepacivirus; Hepacivirus - immunology; Hepacivirus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus - immunology; Hepatitis B virus - isolation & purification; HIV - immunology; HIV - isolation & purification; HIV infections; Hospitals, Teaching; Humans; Infections; Infectious Diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Predisposing factors; Risk Factors; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Sexually transmitted diseases; STD; Studies; Syphilis; Tattooing; Tattooing - adverse effects; Tattoos; Transfusion; Transfusion Reaction; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Treponema pallidum - immunology; Treponema pallidum - isolation & purification; Trypanosoma cruzi - immunology; Trypanosoma cruzi - isolation & purification; Vector-borne diseases; Virus Diseases - blood; Virus Diseases - epidemiology; Virus Diseases - transmission; South America; Brazil; America; Human; Transfusion; Epidemiologic study; Tattoo; Epidemiology; Blood donors; Risk factors; Tattooing; Infection; Donor; Blood donation; Risk factor; Transmission from man to man; Transfusion-transmitted diseases; Public health
• ISSN: 0393-2990; 1573-7284
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1024277918543

Background: Presence of tattoos has been a criterion for temporary deferral of blood donors. Scientific evidence remains equivocal regarding the association between tattooing and transfusion-transmitted diseases (TTDs). Methods: A cross-sectional matched study was undertaken among adults attending a Brazilian hospital and blood bank. The exposure of interest was having at least one permanent tattoo, and the outcomes were the presence of serological markers for the following TTDs: hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, syphilis, and Chagas' disease. Exposed and unexposed subjects were matched on age, sex, and main clinical complaint. Associations were assessed by odds ratios (ORs), adjusted for confounders by unconditional logistic regression. Findings: The study recruited 345 subjects, 182 with tattoos. Having a tattoo was associated with HCV (OR: 6.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29, 31.84), and with having at least one positive test for any TTD (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.81). No statistically significant associations were found between tattooing and HBV or HIV infection, syphilis or Chagas' disease, but these results are inconclusive given the large CI obtained. Interpretation: Having a tattoo is not an important indicator for testing positive for a TTD, except for HCV infection. Taking into consideration the increasing prevalence of tattooing in the general population, the absolute need of a safe and sustainable blood supply and optimization of the cost-effectiveness of screening blood donors, further research on tattoos is urgently required.