Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
United Press International - Thursday May 4, 1989
Based on a study involving more than 4,000 heart surgery patients, the researchers estimated about three out of every 100,000 people who receive one unit of donated blood or blood products might become infected with the AIDS virus.
More than 36,000 heart surgery patients were tested at hospitals in Baltimore and Houston, and the researchers found a single case where a patient apparently received a unit of blood that carried HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus.
This finding confirms an estimate made by the national Centers for Disease Control nearly a year ago that the risk to a surgery patient of receiving a transfusion of HIV-infected blood products was about 1 in 40,000.
"The risk is low but it is not zero," said Dr. Kenrad Nelson, head of the study and an epidemiology professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, underscores the need for people at risk for infection by the AIDS virus - primarily homosexual and bisexual men and intravenous drug users - to avoid donating blood, he said.
Copyright © 1989 - United Press International. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through United Press International, Permissions Desk, 1510 H St. N.W. Washington DC 2005. Main Phone Switchboard: 202-898-8000 FAX: 202-898-8057 or 202-898-8147 Email: info@upi.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1989. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1989. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .