Levantamentos de casos de HTLV positivos ou indeterminados nos candidatos à doação de sangue,nos anos 2014 a 2016, no Centro de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Ceará (HEMOCE)

Abstract

The human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is part of the Retroviridae family, the same as HIV, being transmitted sexually, vertically, blood transfusion and sharing of syringes. Serological screening for HTLV in blood banks became mandatory in Brazil through Ordinance No. 1.376 of the Ministry of Health in 1993. The objective of this study was to verify the frequency of the candidates for the donation of HTLV virus infected blood Hemorrede and trace its epidemiological characteristics. A descriptive and retrospective study with a quantitative approach based on data from blood donors with indeterminate or positive HTLV virus results, from 2014 to 2016, at the Hematology and Hemotherapy Center of Ceará (HEMOCE) was conducted. The data were analyzed using the Microsoft EXCEL 2013 program and the work was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Ceará under the number of opinion 2.583.283. The prevalence of this virus in the years was 2014, 2015 and 2016 was 0,0085%, 0,0091% and 0,0021%, respectively. Regarding the epidemiological profile, women (59%), with a mean age of 39 years (27%), belonging to the brown / brown race (66,7%), with complete primary education (31,8%) and from Fortaleza (55%), represented the majority of the candidates for the donation who had the virus, namely, HTLV type 1. It was verified that 30% of the candidates did not return to collect a second blood sample in cases that the first results in the screening test were either positive or inconclusive, and these data are of concern, since these individuals may be infected and transmit the virus, since not only is blood transfusion a means of transmission for the virus, the sexual and the vertical are relevant in the contamination. It is concluded that the prevalence for HTLV was very low and it is believed that this result occurred due to the permanent exclusion of seropositive repeat donors and to the rigorous clinical and serological screening by Hemorrede Ceará.