The prevalence of HIV infection among blood donors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Blood recipients, particularly frequent receivers, are at high-risk of receiving human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and no current serologic tests eliminate this transmission risk. The current paper aimed to provide an updated comprehensive report on the prevalence of HIV infection among blood donors in different parts of the world. HIV infection prevalence in blood donors was determined based on electronically published data through a systematic review of literature in international databases until February 2020. Studies published in Farsi and English reporting the prevalence of HIV were included. Meta-analysis was performed, and final results were classified according to World Health Organization (WHO) divisions of the world. Out of 1,859 articles, 241 met the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of HIV was higher in first-time donors, males, and replacement therapy receivers. The pooled prevalence was 502.74 in 100,000. AFRO with 2,384.99 and Europe with 19.04 in 100,000 had the highest and the lowest rates, respectively. Gabon represented the highest rate of 20,623, while the USA showed the lowest rate, i.e., 4.33, among the countries. Updated reports on the prevalence of HIV among blood donors help policy-makers and care providers realize the possible need for improving the screening, diagnostics, and treatment protocols. Although the prevalence has decreased in many parts of the world, improving the current protocols is still neces­sary to minimize the risks in transfusion systems.

Keywords

• hiv
• aids
• epidemiology
• blood donation