title: Survival after blood transfusion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Long-term survival of transfusion recipients has rarely been studied. This study examines short- and long-term mortality among transfusion recipients and reports these as absolute rates and rates relative to the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based cohort study of transfusion recipients in Denmark and Sweden followed for up to 20 years after their first blood transfusion. Main outcome measure was all-cause mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,118,261 transfusion recipients were identified, of whom 62.0 percent were aged 65 years or older at the time of their first registered transfusion. Three months after the first transfusion, 84.3 percent of recipients were alive. One-, 5-, and 20-year posttransfusion survival was 73.7, 53.4, and 27.0 percent, respectively. Survival was slightly poorer in men than in women, decreased with increasing age, and was worst for recipients transfused at departments of internal medicine. The first 3 months after the first transfusion, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 17.6 times higher in transfusion recipients than in the general population. One to 4 years after first transfusion, the SMR was 2.1 and even after 17 years the SMR remained significantly 1.3-fold increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survival and relative mortality patterns among blood transfusion recipients were characterized with unprecedented detail and precision. Our results are relevant to assessments of the consequences of possible transfusion-transmitted disease as well as for cost-benefit estimation of new blood safety interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark. mka@ssi.dk
authors.forename: Mads
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamper-Jørgensen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahlgren
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rostgaard
authors.forename: Mads
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melbye
authors.forename: Gustaf
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Edgren
authors.forename: Olof
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nyrén
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: Rut
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norda
authors.forename: Kjell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Titlestad
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tynell
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hjalgrim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors