Document 0906
 DOCN  M94A0906
 TI    Results of a nationwide look-back on transfusion-associated
       HIV-infections in Switzerland.
 DT    9412
 AU    Zwahlen M; Bosshard H; Frey-Wettstein M; Kammerlander R; Marti B;
       Somaini B; Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, Bern.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(2):253 (abstract no. PC0376). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94371669
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To obtain an estimate of the number of transfusion-associated
       HIV-infections in Switzerland between 1982 and 1992. METHODS: A
       donor-based look-back study, enhanced with patient-based look-back
       components, was conducted in 1993 in the whole of Switzerland. Previous
       blood-products from donors entered the study, who were either positive
       in the HIV-screening since November 1985 or the most probable source of
       infection of a transfusion recipient diagnosed with a HIV-infection. In
       addition, different surveillance data was used to validate the estimate.
       RESULTS: A total of 301 labile products from 278 blood donations were
       investigated by February 15, 1994: 225 products were transfused to 224
       recipients. For 59 (19.6%) products transfusion remained undocumented.
       The HIV-status of the 224 recipients was: positive in 50 cases (3
       diagnosed by this study), negative in 43, unknown in 131. The main
       reason for unknown HIV-status was a high mortality after transfusion
       (median survival time of 300 days). Of the 24 known sexual partners of
       the 50 HIV-infected recipients, 8 were HIV-positive (all diagnosed
       before look-back in 1993). Based on backprojection of the
       characteristics of blood donors since 1986, we estimated that this
       look-back covered the outcome of at least 60% of all HIV-contaminated
       labile blood products in Switzerland. Anonymous AIDS and HIV
       surveillance data in Switzerland indicate 66 HIV-infections associated
       with transfusions in Switzerland. The completeness of AIDS and HIV
       surveillance was estimated to be 80%. CONCLUSIONS: In Switzerland with a
       population of 6.9 millions, 640,000 blood donations and an AIDS
       incidence of 9 per 100,000 in 1992, probably not more than 85 presently
       documentable transfusion-associated HIV-infections occurred since 1982.
       The Swiss estimate of 12.4 transfusion-associated HIV-infections per
       million inhabitants is approximately 4 to 6 times less than the
       corresponding estimate for the USA.
 DE    Blood Transfusion/*ADVERSE EFFECTS  Human  HIV
       Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*TRANSMISSION  Switzerland/EPIDEMIOLOGY  MEETING
       ABSTRACT

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
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