Follow-up Study of Blood Donors Reactive for Hepatitis C
Author Information
Author(s): Choudhury N., Tulsiani Sunita, Desai Priti, Shah Ripal, Mathur Ankit, Harimoorthy V.
Primary Institution: Tata Medical Centre, Calcutta, India
Hypothesis
Can a protocol be established for re-entry of blood donors who are confirmed HCV negative?
Conclusion
Blood donors reactive by only a single ELISA kit may not be infectious and should not be discarded if confirmed negative by NAT and RIBA.
Supporting Evidence
- Repeat donors are generally considered safer than first-time donors.
- Donors reactive by a single ELISA kit were consistently negative by NAT and RIBA.
- 8 out of 19 donors reactive by two ELISA kits were confirmed positive by NAT or RIBA.
- False-positive results can cause unnecessary psychological distress to donors.
- Proper tracking systems for donor status are lacking in many blood centers.
Takeaway
Some blood donors test positive for hepatitis C but are actually healthy. We need to check them carefully before deciding if they can donate blood again.
Methodology
The study followed 51,023 blood donors over 15 months, testing for anti-HCV using ELISA, NAT, and RIBA.
Potential Biases
Potential for false-positive results due to cross-reactivity and lack of follow-up for some donors.
Limitations
The study relied on retrospective data and lacked a computerized system for tracking donor status.
Participant Demographics
The study included 140 blood donors, with 35 being repeat donors.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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