Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus among Blood Donors in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Background and objectives: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is significant international public health problem with estimated 2.3 billion people infected globally. The objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus among volunteer blood donors attending Sheikh Khalifa Medical City blood bank and to evaluate its correlation to demographic variables. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out, in which 318 blood samples; 286 male and 32 female volunteer donors were tested by enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of hepatitis E virus antibodies (anti-HEV Abs) during the period from February 2015 to April 2015. Results: Anti-HEV Abs were detected in 34/318 (10.69%). High seropositivity rate was observed among males 32/286 (11.18%) compared to females 2/32 (6.25%) of the total positives. A significant correlation was observed between HEV seropositivity and donors from South-East Asia 24/34 (70.58%) of the total positives (p=0.0006)). The presence of anti-HEV Abs antibodies was higher among young adults 31-45 years 15/34 (44.11%) of the total positives and declines in age group 46-60 years 5/34 (14.70%). Conclusion: The findings were consistent with prevalence ratios reported by similar studies in the region and worldwide. These results raise the potential risk of HEV infection by blood transfusion and justify screening of donated blood. Further studies are required to determine the molecular and epidemiological pattern of hepatitis E virus in the country.