Post-transfusion hepatitis in Australia. Report of the Australian Red Cross study.
Post-transfusion hepatitis developed in 2% of 842 cardiac-surgery patients surveyed in Sydney (4 cases per 1000 units of transfused blood). 3 of the 18 cases were caused by hepatitis B virus even though all units of blood which contained hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) had been rejected. 1 case was caused by cytomegalovirus, and there were 14 (78%) cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis. A significantly higher proportion of the units of blood given to the patients in whom non-A, non-B hepatitis developed contained antibodies against both hepatitis B core antigen and HBsAg than the units of blood given to the other patients. Rejection of blood with these markers of past exposure to hepatitis B may reduce the incidence of post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis by up to a half.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001315:Australia; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000209:etiology*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D000637:Transaminases