TRANSFUSION-ASSOCIATED CHRONIC HEPATITIS - AN UNDERESTIMATED DISEASE

Background: The 12th Deutsche Bundestag constituted a fact-finding com mittee to Investigate infections transmitted by blood and blood produc ts. 1 358 patients, infected with HIV, mostly suffering from hemophili a were registered. Transfusion-associated hepatitis was not recorded. Methods and results: In a general hospital, a prospective study during 12 months revealed chat chronic hepatitis C was associated in 43% wit h previous transfusion of blood whereas no case of HIV-infection, tran smitted by blood or blood products was observed (p < 0.01). The freque ncy of blood transfusion in patients without chronic hepatitis and wit hout AIDS was 18.5%, also significantly different from patients with c hronic hepatitis C (p < 0.025). Conclusion: Frequency and impact of ch ronic transfusion hepatitis C is underestimated.