Which hepatitis virus is the most common cause of posttransfusion hepatitis?

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is recognized as the most common cause of posttransfusion hepatitis due to its ability to be transmitted through blood transfusions. HCV is particularly insidious because it can lead to chronic infection and liver disease in a significant percentage of those infected. Before the implementation of routine screening for HCV in blood banks in the 1990s, it was a leading cause of transfusion-related hepatitis.

The characteristics of HCV, such as its high transmission rate through blood and its potential for chronic infection, underscore its prominence as a cause of posttransfusion hepatitis. Other hepatitis viruses, like hepatitis A and hepatitis D, are either primarily transmitted through non-blood routes or require the presence of hepatitis B for transmission, making them far less significant in the context of posttransfusion hepatitis. Hepatitis B can also be transmitted via transfusions, but HCV has shown to be the foremost concern in terms of blood-derived infections in recent history.