TY - JOUR
T1 - Analyses of blood donor samples from eight provinces in Lao PDR suggest considerable variation concerning HBV exposure and carriage
AU - Nouanthong, Phonethipsavanh
AU - Hefele, Lisa
AU - Keokhamphue, Jerapha
AU - Sorrasin, Vonhphet
AU - Khounvisith, Vilaysone
AU - Souksakhone, Chanthala
AU - Jutavijittum, Prapan
AU - Muller, Claude P.
AU - Black, Antony P.
AU - Hübschen, Judith M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This work was supported by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Luxembourg (project ?Luxembourg-Laos Partnership for Research and Capacity Building in Infectious Disease Surveillance II?) and the Luxembourg Institute of Health. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We would like to thank Mr. Did Panyathong for his technical assistance. We are grateful to Dr. Paul Brey and his administrative team for facilitating the study. We also want to thank the blood donors who agreed to participate to this study and the staff at the Lao National Blood Transfusion Center.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright: © 2021 Nouanthong et al.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Introduction Hepatitis B is endemic in Lao PDR and about 9% of the adult population is chronically infected. In this study, we investigated regional, occupational, age and sex-related differences in hepatitis B epidemiology in Lao blood donors. Methods 5017 voluntary blood donors from 8 different provinces were tested for hepatitis B markers by ELISA. Predictors for the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies against the core antigen (anti-HBc) were assessed by bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results In total, 41% of the participants were positive for anti-HBc; the HBsAg prevalence was estimated at 6.9% among all participants (9.2% among first-time donors and 3.9% among repeat donors). Among first-time donors, HBsAg positivity was associated independently with being male (p<0.001), being from the North (p<0.001) and being soldier (p<0.001). Participants were more likely to be anti-HBc positive when they were male (p<0.001), from the Northern provinces (p<0.001) and older than 20 years (p<0.01). Conclusion In conclusion, our study confirmed an overall high HBsAg and anti-HBc prevalence in Lao PDR, albeit with considerable regional variation. The identification of a sizeable number of HBsAg positives among repeat donors warrants a thorough investigation of current blood screening, record keeping, donor identification and counselling practises.
AB - Introduction Hepatitis B is endemic in Lao PDR and about 9% of the adult population is chronically infected. In this study, we investigated regional, occupational, age and sex-related differences in hepatitis B epidemiology in Lao blood donors. Methods 5017 voluntary blood donors from 8 different provinces were tested for hepatitis B markers by ELISA. Predictors for the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies against the core antigen (anti-HBc) were assessed by bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results In total, 41% of the participants were positive for anti-HBc; the HBsAg prevalence was estimated at 6.9% among all participants (9.2% among first-time donors and 3.9% among repeat donors). Among first-time donors, HBsAg positivity was associated independently with being male (p<0.001), being from the North (p<0.001) and being soldier (p<0.001). Participants were more likely to be anti-HBc positive when they were male (p<0.001), from the Northern provinces (p<0.001) and older than 20 years (p<0.01). Conclusion In conclusion, our study confirmed an overall high HBsAg and anti-HBc prevalence in Lao PDR, albeit with considerable regional variation. The identification of a sizeable number of HBsAg positives among repeat donors warrants a thorough investigation of current blood screening, record keeping, donor identification and counselling practises.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121144267&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34898623
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0259814
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0259814
M3 - Article
C2 - 34898623
AN - SCOPUS:85121144267
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 16
SP - e0259814
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 12 December
M1 - e0259814
ER -