[Posttransfusion hepatitis: its beginning and disappearance]

To review the experience of the previous and present status of post-transfusional hepatitis (PTH) and to describe the landmarks events that have modified its incidence and the new alternative measures that effectively lead to the eradication of PTH.

In the development of PTH participate factors from the donor and receptor, number of units administered and the type of blood products transfused. During the 60s, prevalence rates of the disease was reported as high as 65% at present it appears to be under 2%. The facts markedly related to the fall in PTH prevalence are the recognition of real frequency of the disease in the transfused subjects; the exclusion of commercial blood donors; the discovery of the Hepatitis B virus; the recognition of an additional human hepatitis agents and the development of specific and non-specific assays for their identification; the recognition of AIDS transmission and the self exclusion of donors having experienced high-risk sexual or addictive behaviour. Coupled with the development of the prevention strategies as inactivation of viruses or immunoprophylaxis, and programmes that avoided the use of homologous blood such as autologous transfusion, drugs and blood substitutes.