Non-A, non-b hepatitis in patients receiving blood products

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A group of patients all regularly receiving blood products for a congenital bleeding disorder were investigated for evidence of past infection with hepatitis A and B, and compared with a control group. There was a significantly higher percentage of the test group who had markers of infection with these viruses, and 15 patients had symptoms of hepatitis during the study. Hepatitis B is known to sometimes be a contaminant of blood products and, in fact, three patients had hepatitis B during the period of study. The greater number of the test group showing evidence of past hepatitis A infection can only really be explained by acquiring antibody from blood products, especially since none of our patients with hepatitis had hepatitis A and there is evidence that this is not an infection associated with blood products. We conclude that the majority of patients in our study showing symptoms of hepatitis had non-A, non-B hepatitis.