Abstract
Background: In Africa, hospital blood demand is important; but inadequately managed and hence hazardous. So far, only a few studies in Chad have reported hepatitis C among blood donors and examined its influence on their clinical state. The goal of our study was to assess hepatitis C seroprevalence among blood donors at the National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC) in Ndjamena, identify risk factors, and analyze the biochemical profile.
Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted at the NBTC for three months, from July to October 2022. Following the distribution of a structured questionnaire to participants to collect information on socio-demographic and clinical factors, blood was obtained and tested for anti-HCV antibodies using an immunochromatographic method. Transaminases, bilirubin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, and glycemia were also assessed.
Results: The majority of donors had never donated blood (56.1%), never been tested against hepatitis C (89.88%), and were healthy (86.20%). In this study, a seroprevalence of 7.12% (31/435) for hepatitis C was found. The level of study, the clinical symptoms, and the previous blood donation were significantly associated with the presence of the hepatitis C virus (P<0.001). The majority of HCV+ subjects showed elevated ALT values (48.96 IU/L), total (43.53 µmol/L), and conjugated (17.5 µmol/L) hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperglycemia (1.37 g/L) and hypertriglyceridemia (1.60 g/L) were also noted in these subjects. However, the TC remained relatively normal.
Conclusion: These results suggest that hepatitis C seroprevalence is relatively high among blood donors in N’djamena and presents a risk of liver injury and metabolic disorder. Clinical monitoring is therefore necessary.
Keywords: donors, hepatitis C, biochemical parameters, Ndjamena.
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