PF813 PROFILE OF BLOOD DONORS WITH SEROLOGIC TESTS REACTIVE IN HOSPITAL METROPOLITANO IN QUITO‐ ECUADOR FROM JANUARY 2016 TO DECEMBER 2018
Authors: J. Rojas Noboa, J. Moreno Pazmiño, M. Medina Diaz, P. Velasco Maldonado, S. Rodriguez Vallejo
Journal: HemaSphere (2019)

Background: A complete infectious disease screening is a transfusion practice that is mandatory. The safest blood donors are from low‐risk populations who donate voluntarily and without compensation. The Ecuadorian government requires blood product screening for Syphilis, Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HBC), immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Chagas by Roche (Cobas ® ). Currently, the detection of human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV I / II) is excluded due to its low incidence in our country. These tests are carried out by chemiluminescent immunoassay.According to last year's data from the national blood product program (2014), in Ecuador there are approximately 232,137 blood donations per year. The blood bank of the “Hospital Metropolitano” provides approximately 1.4% of the national donations. Aims: To evaluate the demographic characteristics of blood donors with reactive serology in a private hospital in Quito‐Ecuador from January 2016 to December 2018. Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study. The data was collected from interviews performed prior to the blood donation.A total of 6648 units of blood were collected from voluntaries over the two year period. Donations were made either directly to the hospital's blood bank or through mobile teams. The positive cut off value was calculated as per the manufacturer's directions. Reactive samples were retested before permanent dismissal. Results: During the study period we had 6648 blood donors 26% (1730) were temporary dismissed, and 1.7% (113) were permanently dismissed. The most important reasons for temporary dismissal were high risk sexual behavior (15%) and low hemoglobin (18%). The main motive for permanent dismissal was reactive markers for transfusion transmitted infections (1.3%).Donors with positive serology are mostly men (66%), ranging between ages of 30 to 50 (47%), married (42%) and with high education level (34%). (Table.1) The overall prevalence of HIV reactive tests was 0.17%, 0.06% for HBsAg, 0.36% for Anti‐HCV, 0.35% for Syphilis and 0.41% for Chagas. Summary/Conclusion: The most prevalent reactive marker of transfusion transmitted infections is Chagas. A recent study by Eric Dumonteil et al. , reported that Chagas Disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi has not been controlled in Ecuador. The most recent estimates from the World Health Organization suggest the presence of nearly 200,000 seropositive patients and a current incidence of 14 per 100,000 per year in Latin America. We found similar reactive serology prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and Shyphilis when comparing with worldwide data. The demographic characteristics of donors with reactive serology are also similar when comparing with other available studies. Despite all efforts to guarantee the safety of blood transfusions, transfusion‐transmitted infections remains an important risk. The national blood program of Ecuador is constantly working on improving the selection of blood donors mainly by promoting voluntary donation. In cases of permanent dismissed donors, counseling could improve their willingness to find appropriate medical care.Donor approval or dismissal policies for the prevention of transfusion‐transmitted infections should be based on up‐to‐date information of the local infectious disease epidemiology. Therefore we can conclude that testing for Chagas antibodies remains a priority for blood banks across Ecuador. image