Diseases linked with Blood Transfusions
Hepatitis
Viral hepatitis is the commonest complication of blood transfusion. It effects the liver.
There are 3 forms – Hep A, Hep B & NANB
The control of hep B is due to the discovery of an antigen associated with the disease that was found in the blood serum – HbsAg.
Small amounts of infected serum or plasma given either intravenously or subcutaneously can transmit Hep B
This diagram shows the structure in the blood of a typical hepatitis B virion.
Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases that affect humans and mammals Eg BSE or Creutzfeld – Jakob disease.
Chromosome 20 contains the gene that encodes the normal prion protein ( PrPc) This protein is expressed mainly in the nervous system.
In Prion diseases an abnormal isoform of PrPc known as PrPsc accumulates in the CNS, cerebral cortex and cerebellum.
In 1996, the National CJD Surveillance Unit reported 10 patients with a new variant formof CJD referred to as vCJD.
Differs from other human prion diseases because the prion protein PrPsc is detectable in lymphocyctes – giving rise to concerns that it can be spread via blood transfusion.
This diagram shows human brain tissue - The picture to the left is a normal brain. The picture to the right is the brain of someone infected with variant CJD.