[Relative risk of hepatitis C virus transmission in polytransfused patients].

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown to be responsible for a significant proportion of hepatitis cases among patients undergoing frequent blood transfusions. The prevalence in blood serum of anti-HCV antibodies was studied in 48 patients who had undergone dialysis and multiple blood transfusions. In 42 of these patients the average number of transfusions during their treatment was 11.