[Syphilis and blood transfusion].

Along 17 years (1973-1989), syphilis screening has been performed on 146,355 blood units in the author's blood bank. A total number of 143 positive results (confirmed by MHA-TP) was registered, which means an incidence of 0.097%. Of the total number of blood units, 31,529 came from professional donors, 51 of them (0.16%) being positive, while of the 114,826 blood units from voluntary donors 92 were positive (0.08%). With respect to voluntary donations, the highest incidence of positive reactions was found between 1980 and 1982, but this period registered also the highest number of blood units studied. Along this 17 year period 8 patients have received blood products with positive syphilis test. They were transfused on urgent request with fresh blood or platelet concentrates, the transfusion being performed before knowing the results of the screening for syphilis. No special measures were taken in 2 such cases, who died shortly after the transfusion on account of their disease. Two other were treated with penicillin at the time of transfusion. The remaining four patients received preventive penicillin. Even taking into account that positive screening tests are uncommon amongst blood donors, and that only under special circumstances the patients receiving contaminated blood may develop the illness, it seems advisable for every blood bank to perform the screening for syphilis on every blood donation.