Hepatitis C Viral Infection Among Beta-Thalassemia Patients: A Study From the Centre for Excellence in Thalassemia and Other Blood Disorders

Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single-stranded RNA virus, which is frequently transmitted through blood transfusions, contact with infected blood or blood products, and vertical transmission. Injectable drug abusers and transplant recipients are predisposed to HCV infection. It causes acute hepatitis, which may progress to chronic hepatitis, and in severe untreated cases, patients may develop cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since there is no vaccine available against HCV infection, prevention remains the mainstay, at least among the susceptible populations that include thalassemia patients. Methods A prospective case-control study was conducted at the center for excellence in thalassemia and other blood disorders attached to the Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a tertiary care teaching hospital at Karimnagar, Telangana, India. Blood samples of 100 beta-thalassemia patients and age-matched non-thalassemic persons were screened for antibodies against HCV by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based rapid immunochromatographic method, and the chemiluminescence assay using the Abbott AxSYM (Abbott Laboratories, Abbot Park, IL, USA). During the same period, the prevalence of HCV was assessed among non-thalassemic patients attending in-patient and out-patient wards of PIMS hospital. Results Of the 100 cases of beta-thalassemia, 28 (28%) were HCV positive. All the age-matched non-thalassemic controls were negative for HCV antibodies. Among the positives, 20 (71%) were males, and eight (29%) were females. The prevalence of HCV among non-thalassemic patients attending the hospital during the same period was found to be 0.19%. Conclusions HCV infection among the beta-thalassemia patients was abnormally high as compared to the others. Thalassemia patients are potentially predisposed to HCV infection and other blood-borne viral infections. Thorough screening of blood before transfusion is warranted. HCV infection may further increase the morbidity and mortality of beta-thalassemia patients and other patients with blood disorders who acquire the infection due to frequent blood transfusions.