Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in betathalasemia major patients at Karbala overnorate

الملخص EN

The current study was designed to investigate prevalence of anti- Hepatitis C virus HCV) antibody and levels of complement component C3 and C4 in the serum of beta-thalasemia major (BTM) patients in Karbala governorate.

Patients and methods : the study included 100 patients (57 male &43 female) of BTM with mean age 14.9 years who attending children's hospital at Kerbela governorate from October 2011 up to March 2012, in addition to fifty (50) health people as control subjects.

From both patients and control five (5) milliliter blood was taken and centrifuged in order to get on serum that used for determinate anti-HCV antibody by ELISA method and measurement the levels of C3 and C4 according manufactured company procedure (Spinreact-Spain).

RESULTS: a current results show out of 100 BTM patients were 37(37 %) positive to anti-HCV antibodies and 63 (36 %) negative to these antibodies, only 2 (4 %) out of control subjects were positive to anti-HCV antibody and this result indicated of high significantly differences (p < 0.01), so results show age group 14-10 years) was high incidence of thalasemia and seropositivity to anti-HCV antibody.

Also, results shows decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in C3 levels (102.96mg / dL) in thalasemia patients with seropositive anti-HCV antibody as compared with seronegative anti-HCV and control subject (131.29 mg / dL, 155.9 mg / dL) respectively, while C4 levels were decreased non-significantly(p < 0.05) in same patients.

CONCLUSION : Prevalence of HCV infections was 37 % among beta-thalasemia major and suggests that BTM infection is a risk factor for altering the immune system in Beta-thalasemia patients.