Prevalence of hepatitis B and C infections and HCV genotypes among haemophilia patients in ahvaz, South West Iran

Abstract EN

Background : transfusion-transmitted hepatitis is the most important cause of transmitted infections by the parenteral route in patients with hemophilia.

Objectives : this study was performed to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and different genotypes of HCV among hemophilia patients in Ahvaz city, southwest Iran Patients and Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted on 87 hemophiliac patients referred to the Hemoglobinopathy and Thalassemia research centre during February 2008 to March 2009.

Patients, sera were tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV using ELISA and confirmed by PCR (HBV) and RT-PCR (HCV).

HCV genotypes were determined with HCV genotype specific primers using HCV genotyping kit.

Results : the overall prevalence rate of HBsAg and anti-HCV were 1.1 % (95 % CI : 0-3.39) and 54 % (95 % CI: 43.5-64.4), respectively.

Forty two of the anti-HCV patients (89.3 %) were also HCV RNA positive.

The prevalence of anti-HCV Seropositivity was significantly higher (P = 0.0008) among patients who had started to receive transfusions before implementation of blood donor screening.

Moreover, the number of transfusion were significantly associated with anti-HCV and HCV RNA positivity (P = 0.0041 and P = 0.023, respectively).

The predominant HCV genotype among hemophiliac patients in our region was 1a (26 / 42, 61.9 %), although genotypes 1b and 3a were found in 26.1 % (11 / 42) and 11.9% (5 / 42) of the patients, respectively.

Conclusions : it appears stringent donor selection procedures reduced HCV infection in multi-transfused patients, but it is still serious risk for these subjects.