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Current risks of viral hepatitis from blood transfusions
1Sacramento Medical Foundation Blood Centers, California 95816-7089, USA.
Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
|June 26, 1998
Summary
Transfusion-associated hepatitis risk has dramatically decreased due to better donor screening and viral hepatitis testing. Current risks are very low, making other hepatitis causes more likely than transfusion transmission.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Transfusion-associated hepatitis incidence has significantly declined since the 1960s.
- Historically, transfusion-associated hepatitis posed a substantial risk, affecting up to one in three transfused patients.
- This reduction is attributed to improved donor selection and advanced viral hepatitis carrier testing.
Observation:
- Current prevention strategies involve four key tests: hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus antibody, hepatitis B core antibody, and alanine aminotransferase.
- Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus transmission risks per unit are now approximately 1 in 63,000 and 1 in 125,000, respectively.
- Nucleic acid amplification techniques offer enhanced sensitivity but are not yet widely implemented for donor screening.
Findings:
- Improved donor screening, particularly eliminating paid donations, has been crucial.
- Advanced viral hepatitis testing has drastically reduced transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B and C.
- The risk of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis is now lower than background rates of viral hepatitis.
Implications:
- While transfusions are a less likely cause of hepatitis, other etiological factors must be investigated.
- Further risk reduction may necessitate the adoption of more sensitive nucleic acid amplification techniques.
- Public health efforts have successfully minimized transfusion-related hepatitis risks, shifting focus to other potential sources.