Prevalence of hepatitis B and C in thalassemic children in Punjab

Objective. Thalassemic children are dependent on regular blood transfusions in order to sustain health and life. Thus, they are significantly exposed to transfusion transmitted diseases. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in a group of multitransfused thalassemic children in Punjab. Methods. 116 children, ages seven and a half months to eighteen years, were studied for one year (1 February 2003 to 31 January 2004). They were screened for the presence of viral markers by a third generation ELISA test. Results were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction for nuclear material. Results. The prevalence of anti-HCV was found to be 59.4% while that of HBsAg was 0.8%. HCV RNA was positive in 58.9% of the 56 seropositive patients tested. HBV DNA was not found in the solitary HBsAg positive case. Conclusion. Despite modern day screening practices for transfusion transmitted diseases used by most blood banks, multitransfused thalassemic patients remain at risk for acquiring hepatitis virus especially hepatitis C, as was found in 59.4% of our patients. Hepatitis B, fortunately, is on the decline because of the extensive use of an effective vaccine and better developed donor screening. This emphasizes the need for universal blood screening and methods more efficient at detecting hepatitis C.