HEPATITIS AND HAEMOPHILIA THERAPY IN AUSTRALIA

Abstract 243 Australian haemophiliacs have been studied retrospectively over 41/2 years to assess the effect of treatment products on liver function and to determine the frequency of hepatitis-B markers in these patients. Commercial blood products are not used in Australia, and the patients were treated with products of blood from unpaid donors screened for hepatitis B surface antigen. Cryoprecipitate was the major treatment product, and only small amounts of factor VIII and IX concentrates were used. Despite the use of blood products obtained from entirely voluntary blood donors and the frequent use of single-donor packs of cryoprecipitate, markers of viral hepatitis were common in these haemophiliacs. Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in 63% of the patients, and there were 66 cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis during the study; 29 of these episodes persisted for longer than 6 months. 13 patients (5·4%) had hepatitis B during the study; 2 patients remained HBsAg-positive for longer than 6 months. Abnormal serum aminotransferase levels were found in 34% of the patients; in 8% of patients these abnormalities persisted for more than 6 months.