ANTI-HCV AB-POSITIVE CASES AMONG THALASSEMIC PATIENTS REFERRED TO A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN KERMAN

Multiple transfusions expose thalassemic patients to a high risk for hepatitis C infection. The present study was carried out to estimate the frequency of anti-HCV Ab-positive cases among 107 thalassemic patients referred to a university hospital in Kerman. One hundred and seven children were also chosen as the control group. ELISA (generation II) was used as the first-line screening test and RIBA (generation I) for reconfirming the primary positive results. The mean age (±SD) was 9.2 (±4.3) and 8.9 (±4.2) years in the thalassemic patients and the control group, respectively. Males constituted 54.9% and 60.8% of the case and control groups respectively. Anti-HCV Ab was positive in 22.4% of the thalassemic patients while no positive cases were present in the control group with a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). We conclude that the screening of donated blood for anti-HCV Ab detection before its transfusion has a significant role in reducing the rate of HCV transmission in high-risk groups.