Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) among Thalassemia Patients Refer to Ahwaz Shapha Hospital (1999-2004)

Since thalassemia patients receive continously blood and its products, they are in high risk to acquiring various transfusion-transmitted infections, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Nowadays, one of the major hygienic problem in thalassemia patients is to reduce and control these viral infections effectively. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV antigenic markers among major and intermedia thalassemia patients. Subjects and A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 122 thalassemia patients (102 major; 20 intermedia) referred to the Hemoglubinopathi and Thalassemia Center of Ahwaz Shafa hospital during October 1999 to October 2004. Demography data and serological laboratory results obtained from the patients, files at hospital. HBsAg, HCVAb and HIVAb had been tested in their serums by using ELIZA technique and then confirmed by RIBA technique. The results were anlysed using SPSS and chi-square test. Out of 122 patients 73 (59.8%) and 49 (40.2%) were men and women respectively, with age mean of 14.96 years. 3 individuals of whole patients were positive for HBsAg, 32 for HCVAb and nothing for HIVAb. Therefore, the overall seroprevalence rate was for hepatitis B 2.5%, HCV 26.2% and HIV zero. There was significant positive relation between age and blood transfusion duration with prevalence of HCVAb (p value= 0.008 and <0.001 respectively).There was also significant difference between vaccination against hepatit B virus and lack of HBV infection among patients (p value<0.03). It can be concluded the incidance of HCV is rather high in thalassemia patients of Khozestan prozon. Although it seems blood donor screenning project reduced HCV infection, using more accurate technique is necessary in order to find viral infection and treat thalassemia patients with HCV infection more carefully.