Hemophilia, Hepatitis, and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Excerpt

Preparations of blood fractions for transfusion contain various infectious agents that may be transmitted to the recipient. Cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B virus, and non-A, non-B viruses are among the many agents that may be contained in these fractions. The risk of infection with these agents is increased in patients with hemophilia who receive concentrates of plasma derived from many donors and who receive such concentrates on repeated occasions. Approximately 85% of patients with clinically severe hemophilia needing frequent transfusions with concentrates of factor VIII or IX have serologic evidence of previous exposure to hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg), and up to 10%