Abstract
Background: Following the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1989, screening of all blood donors for antibodies became mandatory in Sweden as of 1 January 1992. Methods: Serum samples were collected from patients who had received a blood transfusion in the period prior to 1992 in western Sweden. The prevalence of HCV infection was assessed by antibody screening. Results: Of 13,573 screening serologies, 124 patients (0.9%) had antibodies against HCV; 113 (0.8%) had detectable HCV RNA indicating an ongoing infection. Ninety-one (73%) were female, of whom 32 had been transfused in conjunction with childbirth. A review of the 32 liver biopsy reports available showed that 2 patients had cirrhosis and an additional 9 patients had periportal or septal fibrosis. Conclusion: A considerable portion of screened patients had an ongoing HCV infection and were eligible for antiviral treatment. Look-back screening for HCV among recipients of blood transfusions prior to 1992 is meaningful and should include women transfused in childbirth.
Acknowledgements
We thank Ulf Persson at the Swedish Institute for Health Economics for valuable scientific advice regarding health economics.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.