Prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infection among Blood Donors in Perak State of Malaysia

Introduction The morbidity and mortality due to the transfusion of infected blood have severe economical and psychosocial cost. It affects not only the recipients, but also the family members of the inflicted patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis, and the associated socio-demographic of transfusion transmitted infection (TTI) among blood donors in Perak state of Malaysia.  

Methodology This was a retrospective data review, among donors who have undergone blood donation between years 2016 to 2020. Participants' records were retrieved from the donor's database of all the hospitals in Perak state. Non-Malaysian donors and records with missing data were excluded.  

Results Overall, there was 675 donors detected with TTI out of 307,113 donations (0.22%) from 2016 to 2020. Majority of the donors with TTI were Malays (376, 55.7%), aged between 21-30 (214, 31.7%), males (580, 85.9%), first time donors (472, 69.9%) and with hepatitis B infections (282, 41.8%). Seroconverted donors constituted slightly more than a quarter (188, 27.9%) of the total TTI cases. The prevalence of TTI peaked in 2016 (0.25%), and decreased to 0.20% in year 2020. First time donors (p<0.001), males (p=0.001) and Malay donors (p<0.001) were associated with higher rate of TTI. Hepatitis B has the highest prevalence (n=282), followed by syphilis (n=157), hepatitis C (n=130), and HIV (n=98).  

Conclusion The prevalence of transfusion transmitted infections among the Perak state donors was low. Constant blood screening and vigilance system should be implemented to ensure blood safety among the recipients. 

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