Tamoor Raza, Shabir Ahmed, Shumaila Rafiq, Azher Shah, Usman Khalid.
Frequency of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Multi Transfused patients of Beta Thalassemia Major at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore.
Pak Paed J Jan ;42(2):105-9.

Thalassemia is known as the most common genetic disease of blood around the globe. It is a major health issue causing morbidity, early mortality and a great deal of misery for a family both emotionally and financially. Regular blood transfusions for patients of Thalassemia have improved the overall survival although these transfusions carry a definite risk of transmission of certain viruses. Objective: To determine the frequency of Hepatitis C (HCV) infection among multi transfused beta thalassemia major patients. Setting: Outpatient Thalassemia clinic and Transfusion Centre of Hematology/Oncology Department at The Children`s Hospital, Lahore. Duration Of Study: From 01.01.2015 to 31.12.2016, for 2 years. Sample Size: Two hundred cases of multi-transfused patients of beta thalassemia major who fulfilled inclusion criteria were recruited. Sampling Technique: Consecutive, nonprobability. Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional. Results: From 200 patients, 111 (55.5%) were between 2-10 years of age and 89 (44.5%) were between 11-16 years of age. Mean + sd was calculated as 10.11 + 4.00 years. As for as gender is concerned, 114 (57%) out of 200 patients were male and 86 (43%) were females. Frequency of hepatitis C (HCV) infection among multi-transfused beta thalassemia major patients was recorded in 26.5% (n=53) while 73.5% (n=147). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that blood transfusion was the main risk factors for HCV infection among beta thalassemia patients. Therefore, more blood donor screening programmes and effective screening techniques are needed to prevent transmission of HCV infection among these patients.

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