Chemical Liver Function Tests and Epidemiologic Studies of HBsAg Positive Blood Donors

The HBsAg positivity in age, sex, occupation, blood type, past history and chemical liver function tests were analyzed in 869 cases without symptoms of liver disease and positive testing for HBsAg by RPHA method, who were selected among 11, 197 blood donors of the Red-Cross Blood Bank in Pusan, Korea from August 1, to September 30, 1982. 1. The overall HBsAg positivity in random blood donors was 7.76%. 2. The HBsAg positivity of males was 8.36% and females 6.0%; males had a slightly higher positivity than females. 3. The HBsAg positivity of the 16–20 year old age group had the highest frequency (9.05%), 21–25 year old age group 8.23%, 26–30 year old age group 5.72%, 31–35 year old age group 5.76%, 36–40 year old group 5.85%, 41–45 years old age group 4.76%, and 46–50 year old age group 3.7%. HBsAg positivity had decreasing tendency of frequency by increasing age. 4. The HBsAg positivity of the merchant group had the highest frequency (10.26%), and next, the unemployed, salary man, student, soldier, in order of frequency. 5. The HBsAg positivity in cases with blood type A had the highest frequency (8.07%), and next, cases with B type, O type, and AB type in order of frequency. 6. The HBsAg positivity in cases with no past history in liver disease had the highest frequency (75.37%), and next, cases with history of liver diseases among family 12.54%, hepatitis with jaundice 5.06%, admission due to other diseases except liver diseases 3.57%, transfusion 2.42%, hepatitis without jaundice 1.04%. 7. In chemical liver function tests of HBsAg positive blood donors, elevation of SGPT level showed highest frequency (10.70%), SGOT 7.7%, total serum bilirubin 5.29% and elevation of one or more than of SGPT, SGOT, total serum bilirubin 18.99%.