Hepatitis C virus infection in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Abstract EN

Objective: To determine the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with non Hodgkin's lymphoma in Assiut University Hospital and Cancer Institute of South Egypt.

Patients and Methods: Eighty unselectedpatients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were tested for the presence of Hepatitis C virus antibodies using Elisa immunoabsorbant assay.

Two control groups were utilized for comparison; the first is a cohort of patients with non-haematological neoplasms; and the 2nd is a group of healthy blood donors.

Patients with previous history of blood transfusion or liver disease were excludedfrom the study.

RESULTS: thirty-eight of the 80 B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients (47%) tested positive for Hepatitis C virus antibodies.

About 24 out of 100 (24%) and 22 out of 80 (27.5%) patients tested positive for Hepatitis C virus antibodies in the first and 2nd control groups.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate a higher prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in Assiut patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma than in the control groups.

The prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in the 2 control groups, in turn, seems to fall within the estimated high prevalence in the general population of our country.