PROSPECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF INCIDENCE OF FULMINANT-HEPATITIS IN POSTTRANSFUSION HEPATITIS - A STUDY OF 504 CASES

The incidence of posttransfusion hepatitis and ''fulminant'' hepatitis was investigated by a plan devised at our hospital in December 1982. Of 2959 blood recipients between January 1982 and December 1988, 504 ( 22.5%) developed posttransfusion hepatitis, with a mean transfusion vo lume of 10.2 units. Of the 504 cases of posttransfusion hepatitis, ''i cteric'' (T-Bil > 2.0 mg/dl) and ''overt icteric '' hepatitis (T-Bil > 5.0 mg-dl) developed in 111 cases (22.0%) and 28 cases (5.6%), respec tively. Of the 28 overt icteric hepatitis cases, 13 (2.8%) were though t to be true overt icteric posttransfusion hepatitis because the icter us was caused by other reasons in the other 15 cases (seven neonatal j aundice, four hemolytic anemia, one radiation hepatitis, one halothane -induced hepatitis; two other cases were excluded because chronic live r disease was diagnosed by imaging procedures despite serum ALTs in th e normal range before transfusion). The anti-HCV serostatus was invest igated in five of the 13 true overt icteric posttransfusion hepatitis patients using blood specimens taken 180 days or more following the on set of posttransfusion hepatitis. Anti-HCV seroconversion occurred in three of the five cases (60%). HCV seroconversions were not seen in th e cases in which the icterus was due to other reasons.