Table 1.
Characteristics of Blood Donors, by Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Antibody Status
| Characteristics | Results of Third-Generation RIBAa |
P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive (n = 469) | Negative (n = 217) | ||
| Age, mean ± SD (years) | 40±10 | 44 ± 12 | <.001 |
| Female sex | 215 (46) | 96 (44) | .742 |
| Race | |||
| White | 372 (79) | 190 (88) | .010 |
| African American | 85 (18) | 15 (7) | <.001 |
| No college education | 212 (45) | 49 (23) | <.001 |
| First-time donor | 145 (31) | 18 (8) | <.001 |
| History of STD | 127 (27) | 22 (10) | <.001 |
| MSM | 19 (4) | 1 (0.5) | .007 |
| ALT level, mean (IU/L)b | 54 | 22 | <.001 |
Data are no. (%) of donors, unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; MSM, men who have sex with men; RIBA, recombinant immunoblot assay; STD, sexually transmitted disease.
a All subjects had positive anti-HCV findings by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Donors with positive results of RIBA are considered to have been infected with HCV. Donors with negative results of RIBA are considered to have false-positive anti-HCV findings by EIA.
b At initial evaluation, ALT level was elevated in 48% of RIBA-positive donors, compared with 6% of RIBA-negative donors (P < .001).