The Incidence of Hepatitis G Virus in Patients with Hematological Malignancies: The Relationship to the Number of Blood and Blood Products Transfusions

The hepatitis G virus has been detected in patients with post-transfusion hepatitis. The precise transmission rate of the hepatitis G virus is not clear. This study aims to investigate the transmission rate of HGV and the relationship between the number of blood transfusions and the blood products used in multitransfused patients with hematological malignancies. Serum samples were obtained from 80 patients with hematologic malignancies hospitalized between January 1997 and December 1998 at Ibn’i Sina Hospital, University of Ankara. The patients were divided into three groups according to transfusion numbers. Group A received between 0 and 10 units of blood and blood products, Group B received 10-20 units, and Group C received more than 20 units. All patients received blood and blood products for a median of 6.8 Units/whole life. The hepatitis G virus was detected using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Of the eighty patients, four (5.0 %) were HBs-Ag positive, one (1.25%) was Anti-HCV positive, and one (1.25%) was HGV-RNA positive. Multiple blood transfusions may be an important risk factor for transmission-transmitted viral infections, but based upon the present experience, there is no significant relationship between the number of blood transfusions and blood products and the transmission rate of HGV infection in patients with hematological malignancies.