Prevalence of Hepatitis B Core Antibody in Sudanese Random Blood Donors at Khartoum state, 2022

Background: Hepatitis B virus is a DNA virus belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family attacking the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.  The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Hepatitis B core antibody in Sudanese random blood donors. Materials and methods: The study was descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan during the period from May 2022 to September 2022. Blood samples were collected from 100 random blood donors. A total of three ml of whole blood were collected from each participant in plain tube. Hepatitis B core antibody test was done by using biochemistry analyzer (Cobas 411). Results: The results of this study revealed that all blood donors were negative for HBsAg but 51% of them were positive for HBcAb. The mean average of hepatitis B core antibody in blood donors was 0.984 ± 0.950, where the mean average of hepatitis B surface antigen was 0.685± 0.170. The educational background had a positive correlation with the prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody. Conclusion: This study concluded that the prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody in blood donors was high. Keywords: Hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis B core antibody, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, blood donation, blood transfusion, random blood donor