Relation between donor transaminase and recipient hepatitis non-A, non-B in Sweden

The relation between donor alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and recipient post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) non-A, non-B was studied in patients tested before and 6 and 12 weeks after transfusion. The minimum ALT criterion for PTH was 105 IU/l (greater than 2.5 times the upper normal of 42 IU/l). In 8.8% of donors, ALT was greater than 42 IU/l, and in 2.3% ALT was greater than 63 IU/l, i.e., 1.5 times elevated. PTH non-A, non-B occurred in 14 of 742 recipients. The PTH incidence increased when donor ALT was above 63 IU/l (1.5 vs. 5.6%; p less than 0.05). However, if the confounding factor of volume variations was compensated for, elevated donor ALT and PTH were only statistically linked among recipients less than 70 years (p less than 0.02; Mantel-Haenszel test).