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Antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen in blood donors screened for alanine aminotransferase level and hepatitis non‐A, non‐B in recipients
Author(s) -
Sugg Udo,
Schenzle Dieter,
Hess Georg
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1046/j.1537-2995.1988.28488265274.x
Subject(s) - medicine , antibody , hepatitis b , incidence (geometry) , blood transfusion , immunology , blood units , hepatitis , antigen , alanine aminotransferase , gastroenterology , physics , optics
Four‐hundred and seventeen patients undergoing open‐heart surgery were followed for more than 9 months after transfusion. All 2270 blood units transfused had alanine aminotransferase levels ≤ 30 U/l. Blood units positive for antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti‐HBc) were more frequently associated with recipient hepatitis non‐A, non‐B (HNANB) (13.7%) than anti‐HBc‐negative units (4.2%) (p < 0.001). The frequency of HNANB among recipients of at least 1 anti‐HBc‐positive blood unit (8/79, 10.1%) was fivefold greater than among recipients of exclusively anti‐HBc‐negative blood units (7/338, 2.1%) (p < 0.01). In this study the exclusion of donors positive for anti‐HBc (4.2%) might have reduced the incidence of recipient HNANB by 42 percent. These results support the introduction of anti‐HBc donor screening to prevent recipient HNANB.