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Vol 2, No 1 (2009)
Research paper
Published online: 2009-02-12

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HBsAg detection in blood donors in Poland, 1995–2004

Piotr Grabarczyk, Halina Seyfried, Ewa Brojer, Magdalena Rosińska, Maria Mikulska, Magdalena Łętowska, the Polish Blood Transfusion Service Vir Group
Journal of Transfusion Medicine 2009;2(1):20-25.

Abstract

Background: At the end of the 1980s the incidence rate of hepatitis B in Poland was one of the highest in Europe. The aim of our study was to analyse HBsAg detection rates in Polish blood donors in the years 1995–2004.
Materials and methods: Between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2004, 4.669.435 donors were screened for HBsAg: 1.896.770 first time donors and 2,772,665 repeat donors.
Results: HBs antigen was detected in 0.35% of all Polish blood donors; in 0.79% of the first time donors and 0.06% of the repeat donors. The HBsAg detection rate decreased during the analysed period, from about 1% in 1995 to 0.67% in 2004 for first time donors, and from 0.088% to 0.017% in repeat blood donors. The relative decline rate was greater for repeat donors than for first time donors (20.7% per year and 5.4 % per year, respectively). A wide range of trends for HBsAg prevalence was observed in different regions of the country. For repeat donors it ranged from a 33.5% decrease per year in the southwest to a stable level (about 0%) in the northeast. In most regions, a decreasing tendency was observed for first time donors (max 10.9% per year) although a 3.4% per year increase was observed in the central region (łódzkie).
Conclusions: In 1995–2004 the frequency of HBV infection marker in Poland was higher than in most European countries. A decreasing tendency for HBsAg detection in blood donors was observed. Such a trend was found both in repeat and first time donors. In one region, however, an inverse tendency was observed.

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