The prevalence of positive hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV serology in cornea donors prescreened by medical and social history in Ontario, Canada.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the serum of cornea donors who had been previously screened by social and medical history by the Eye Bank of Canada, Ontario Division. METHOD: A retrospective examination of the donor records of the Eye Bank of Canada, Ontario Division, was conducted. A total of 3,228 records were examined covering the period from May 17, 1993 to May 31, 1996. RESULTS: The prevalence of HBV was determined to be 0.25%, HCV, 0.93%; and HIV, 0.031%. CONCLUSION: The data revealed that despite the use of medical and social history to prescreen, a small percentage of prescreened donors test serologically positive. A comparison of the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV in the prescreened cornea donors to a similarly screened cohort of blood donors over a similar time period reveals a higher prevalence in all three diseases in the cohort of cornea donors. An examination of the demographic characteristics of the population as a whole versus the three groups with confirmed serology failed to show a significant difference between the seropositive and seronegative groups. This study confirms the value and necessity of serologic prescreening of cornea donors as is currently the standard of practice.

Ethnic variability in peritoneal equilibration test and urea kinetics.

The influence of ethnicity on peritoneal permeability and the adequacy of peritoneal dialysis was studied in 202 end-stage renal failure patients on peritoneal dialysis. Patients were classified into whites, Orientals, blacks, and a miscellaneous group consisting of East Indians, Persians, and others whose ethnicity was unknown. The patients were on peritoneal dialysis for a mean period of 29.1 +/- 15.8 months before the study. All patients underwent a peritoneal equilibration test with 24-hour urine and dialysate collection. The kinetic parameters were calculated using commercial software (PD Adequest; Baxter Healthcare, Round Lake, IL). The mean volume of exchange, weekly Kt/V, and weekly creatinine clearance were comparable in the different ethnic groups, but the normalized protein catabolic rate was significantly higher in the Orientals (P = 0.03). The high transporters tended to be males with a large body surface area and in the older age group. The low transporters achieved a higher Kt/V than those in the other transport groups (2.3 +/- 0.4 v 2.06 +/- 0.52; P = 0.015). The women had a significantly higher Kt/V than the men (2.16 +/- 0.43 v 1.93 +/- 0.59; P < 0.01). Repeat peritoneal equilibration test was done after a mean duration of 10.5 +/- 4.9 months in 33 patients. Although the mean exchange volume (8.37 +/- 0.83 v 9.32 +/- 1.72; P = 0.003) increased significantly, weekly creatinine clearance (62.3 +/- 25.6 L/1.73 m2 to 63.1 +/- 18.3 L/1.73 m2; P < 0.05) and other kinetic parameters did not change markedly with duration. There was a tendency for the patients to move from the extreme transport groups to the average category with duration.