title: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies in patients with haemophilia and other inheritable blood clotting disorders in south west Poland (Lower Silesia region).
abstract: In order to determine the frequency of HIV antibodies among patients with haemophilia and other inheritable blood clotting disorder in the Lower Silesia region of South-West Poland, we examined a representative fraction comprising 106 patients from a cohort of 302 blood clotting disorder patients. The methods used for detecting HIV antibodies were an ELISA, the immunoblotting test ("Western blot") and an indirect immunofluorescence test. 8 patients were reactive in the ELISA, but only 2 (1.9%) patients were truly seropositive by the confirmation tests. Both patients have received imported commercial factor VIII preparation. Totally 17 patients have been treated with imported factor VIII, thus 12% (95% confidence limits: 1.5-36.5%) of these were seropositive. This figure, which is lower than figures obtained from the USA and Western Europe, is probably due to far less intensive treatment of the patients. None (95% confidence limits: 0-4.1%) of the patients solely treated with blood transfusion and locally produced preparation was HIV antibody positive. These results indicate a low prevalence of HIV infection in this region of Poland but are, on the other hand, a strong argument for an introduction of HIV antibody screening of blood donors to maintain these favourable condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Medical Academy, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Czerchawski
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Lindhardt
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Szymaniec
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pejcz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Radzikowski
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D005169:Factor VIII