WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Sahar Kareem Raheem*, Seveem Omran Jasim and Ayser Fathi Abdulraheem

ABSTRACT

Background: The incidence of transfusion-associated hepatitis has decreased significantly with donor screening for HCV antibodies. However, thalassemia patients still face high liver disease rates due to transfusion-related iron overload and infections from blood-borne agents. HCV is the primary cause of post-transfusion non-A-non-B hepatitis in patients with β-thalassemia major. Method: The prevalence of blood-borne viral infections in multi-transfused patients correlates with community virus prevalence. A cross-sectional study conducted from December 1, 2008, to May 31, 2009, examined the prevalence and epidemiological changes of HCV infection in 513 thalassemic patients at Al-Karamah Teaching Hospital. Data were collected using a questionnaire, direct patient interviews, and hospital case reports. Results: The study found a male-to-female ratio of 1.3:1, with the most affected age group being 15-19 years (42.7%). A high proportion had low education levels and lived in Baghdad (26%), with family origins from other governorates (29.6%). Most were unemployed (27.3%), diagnosed with thalassemia at one year or older (23.5%), and first received blood between 6 months to one year of age (28.8%). Positive cases often had consanguineous parents (26.6%), no family history of HCV (27.4%), and received desferrioxamine (27.8%). Clinically, 27.5% were pale, 36.7% had jaundice, 37.5% had hepatosplenomegaly, and 43.5% had elevated liver function tests. Conclusion: It is recommended to implement a national survey of blood-borne infections, particularly HCV, among thalassemia patients. An effective health education program should discourage consanguineous marriages, especially among families with a history of thalassemia. Community engagement is crucial in preventing thalassemia syndromes.

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