The incidence of anti-ATLA (antibodies to adult T-cell leukemia-associated antigen) among hemodialysis patients in the Kagoshima district with special reference to blood transfusion

Abstract

The incidence of anti-ATLA was investigated in 234 patients with chronic renal failure under hemodialysis. The results obtained were as follows. 1) The seropositivity of the patients (33.8%) was higher than that of healthy residents (11.7%) and blood donors (6.9%) in the Kagoshima district, an ATL-endemic area (p<0.01). 2) There was no correlation between the duration of hemodialysis and anti-ATLA positivity. 3) The incidence of anti-ATLA increased with the rise in the number of blood transfusions given (p<0.05). 4) The seropositivity of patients without episodes of blood transfusion was also higher than that of healthy residents in the Kagoshima district (p<0.05). The data suggested that HTLV-1 was transmissible by blood transfuion, and that therefore it seems necessary to carry out mass-screening of blood units to prevent the spread of HTLV-1 infection in ATL-endemic areas, as soon as possible. Further future studies to clarify why the seropositivity of patients without blood transfusion was statistically high may also be necessary.