Posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis after cardiac surgery: a prospective study

Vox Sang. 1983;45(4):312-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1423-0410.1983.tb01919.x.

Abstract

In a prospective study of 50 recipients of HBsAg-negative blood who had undergone cardiac surgery, 4 (8%) developed acute non-A, non-B hepatitis. The patients who developed hepatitis had received significantly more units of blood or blood products than the patients who had no hepatitis. The incubation period of the disease was 4-13 weeks, 3 patients were asymptomatic with peak alaminotransferase (ALT) levels of 320-497 U/1 and 1 patient was jaundiced with a peak ALT of 3,400 U/1. 1 of the patients had high ALT levels after 21 weeks of observation, while 3 patients recovered after 7-10 weeks. It is concluded that non-A, non-B posttransfusion hepatitis in Israel is a medical problem similar to that in the USA and that the clinical picture of the disease varies from a mild asymptomatic to a symptomatic and protracted course.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / surgery*
  • Female
  • Hepatitis C / etiology*
  • Hepatitis, Viral, Human / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk
  • Transfusion Reaction*