Prevalence of HCV among thalassemia patients in Shahid Bahonar Hospital, Karaj

Background and Objectives Although recent screening policies have markedly decreased the incidence of HCV infection in transfusion dependent thalassemia paitients, this problem is still one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity in thalassemic patients.Materials and Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 206 thalassemia patients referred to the Shahid Bahonar Hospital during 2009-2010. Serum specimens were tested with anti –HCV assay and RIBA –II technique to asses HCV infection. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS18 (χ2 and T-test). Results The overall prevalence rate of anti-HCV was 15%)11 male, 20 female). Moreover 29 anti-HCV positive patients were RIBA –II positive(11 male, 18 female). All HCV affected patients but one had received their first transfusion before 1996 when HCV screening had became mandatory. Conclusions HCV infection rate compared with the general population is higher in multi transfused thalassemia patients. Out of HCV infected thalassemias, 80% are at risk of developing chronic liver diseases and fibrosis; thus preventive measures such as blood donor screening for anti-HCV and stringent infection control procedures are crucial steps to be implemented for HCV prevention.