[Current status of anti-HCV screening and posttransfusion hepatitis]

The value of screening blood donors for non-A, non-B Hepatitis using GPT as the surrogate marker has been debated for long time. Since January 1990, Japanese Red Cross Blood Centers have introduced anti-HCV screening with EIA. Approximately 1.1 percent of blood donors screened was anti-HCV positive in Kyushu district. Studies comparing with seroconversion rates showed discrepancy between anti-HCV and anti-HTLV-1 in some regions [Kagoshima: 0.9% (anti-HCV)/5.7% (anti-HTLV-1), Okinawa: 0.7%/5.2%, Nagasaki: 1.0%/3.7%]. Seropositivity of anti-HCV progressively increased with the age and GPT value in both male and female. In blood donors having history of transfusion, anti-HCV reactive rate was more than 10%. Results of Japanese Red Cross Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis Research Group show the effectiveness of implementation of anti-HCV screening to prevent posttransfusion hepatitis.