[Transfusion and the risk of hepatitis]

Hepatitis is an inevitable risk of blood transfusion. Data concerning the frequency of the disease much deviate from each other, conditioned by epidemiological and clinico-diagnostic differences. From 1979 to 1981 in 273,476 transfusions in the counties of Magdeburg and Erfurt altogether 57 diseases of hepatitis were recognized by the organs of hygiene, which were in temporary connection (6 months) with transfusions. Thus the risk of hepatitis of notified diseases per transfusion unit was 0.02%. 6.1% of all hepatitic affection were in a temporary connection with transfusions, 7.6% were in a temporary connection (6 months) with hospitalization without transfusion. The necessity of repeated clinical examinations of the recipients of blood and blood preparations, the immediate duty of notification to the blood transfusion service when donors and recipients fall ill is emphasized. When individual donations are given the causality of transfusion and hepatitis is not to be proved. The use of the notion transfusion hepatitis which is to be proved by tradition, nowadays, however, done too inconsiderately deviates from other chains of infection and necessary measures.