Investigation of Parvovirus B19 infection in patients with thalassemia major in Kurdistan province

Thalassemia is a hereditary anemia caused by abnormal hemoglobin chain formation.Treatment is through blood transfusion, which improves the symptoms. However, blood transfusion has complications e.g transmission of infection such as Parvovirus B19. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of Parvovirus B19 infection in thalassemia major patients in Kurdistan province.
In this descriptive study 106 thalassemia patients referred to hospitals in Kurdistan province were randomly selected in 2016. For each patient a questionnaire containing demographic information including age, sex, blood transfusion intervals and duration of blood transfusion were collected. For IgM and IgG antibodies, Euroimmun ELISA kit was used. After the tests, obtained data were analyzed using Pearson statistical test.
Prevalence of IgM and IgG antibodies in patients with thalassemia were 3.7% and 17.9%, respectively. The correlation between IgG and IgM antibody titer and blood transfusion interval was not significant (p=0.377, p=0.254). The correlation between IgG and IgM antibody titer and gender was not significant (p= 0.61 and p= 0.961, respectively).
Regarding the prevalence of 3.7% for IgM antibody, screening of donated blood for Parvovirus B19 is necessary in patients with hematological disorders in Kurdistan province.