Hepatitis B Virus Antibody in Blood Donors and the Occurrence of Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis in Transfusion Recipients

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Abstract
Patients who received transfusions and nontransfused control patients were followed to assess the incidence and cause of post-transfusion hepatitis and to identify donor factors that might relate to risk of hepatitis. The presence of antibody to hepatitis B virus compared with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level was evaluated as a risk factor in donors. Units of blood that were positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) were associated with 2-fold to 3-fold greater risk of non-A, non-B hepatitis in the recipients than were units without anti-HBc. In the absence of specific serologic tests for non-A, non-B agents, screening of donors for anti-HBc might be considered. The incidence of non-A, non-B hepatitis might have been reduced by about 1/3 of such screening. Elevated ALT levels in donors had a similar association with non-A, non-B hepatitis in recipients but would have resulted in fewer units of blood being discarded than would screening for anti-HBc.