Patterns of age- and sex-specific prevalence of major blood-borne infections in United States blood donors, 1995 to 2002: American Red Cross blood donor study

• Published in: Transfusion (Philadelphia, Pa.) Vol. 44; no. 11; pp. 1640 - 1647
• Main Authors: Zou, Shimian, Notari IV, Edward P., Stramer, Susan L., Wahab, Fawzi, Musavi, Fatemeh, Dodd, Roger Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK and Malden, USA Blackwell Science Inc 01.11.2004; Blackwell Publishing
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Donors - statistics & numerical data; Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; Emergency and intensive cardiocirculatory care. Cardiogenic shock. Coronary intensive care; Female; Hepatitis B - epidemiology; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - blood; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis C Antibodies - blood; HIV Antibodies - blood; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Humans; Infection - blood; Infection - epidemiology; Intensive care medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Sex Factors; Syphilis - epidemiology; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; United States - epidemiology; United States; North America; America; Infection; Prevalence; Transfusion; American; Blood donor
• ISSN: 0041-1132; 1537-2995
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0041-1132.2004.04153.x

BACKGROUND:  The American Red Cross has been maintaining a research database of all blood donations, including all testing results for infectious disease markers, since 1995. This study analyzes the temporal trends of major blood‐borne infections among blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  Temporal trends for age‐ and sex‐specific prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis infections in US blood donors were analyzed based on linear trend or time series model or other models as appropriate. RESULTS:  From 1995 to 2002, significant declines have been observed for infections that used to be at relatively higher levels. Declines in prevalence were slower among first‐time donations than repeat donations. There was an increase in prevalence of anti‐HCV among first‐time male donors of 50 to 59 years of age. Anti‐HIV prevalence appeared to have increased among first‐time male donors of 30 to 39 years of age since 2000. CONCLUSION:  Different sex and age groups showed various patterns of decline and even signs of increase. The increasing prevalence among some age and sex groups may merit further investigation.