Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in Patients with Inherited Disorders of Hemoglobin in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran

Background: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are significant concerns in patients with inherited disorders of hemoglobin (IDH). Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of HCV and HBV infections in a large cohort of patients with IDH in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran. Methods: In this retrospective study, 2391 patients with IDH in Sistan and Baluchistan were enrolled. The anti-HCV antibody (HCV Ab) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were assessed using ELISA. Results: A total of 2387 patients with a mean age of 12.7 years were included in the final analysis. Most of the patients were residents of Zahedan city (28.1%) and suffered beta-thalassemia major (99.2%). The prevalence of HCV Ab was 5.87% (95% CI = 5.0% - 6.89%) and HBsAg was detected in 0.29% (95%CI = 0.14% - 0.6%) of the patients. The prevalence of HCV Ab was associated with the age of patients, and there was a great difference in the prevalence of HCV Ab between patients with IDH who born before and after 1996 (17.2% vs. 5.1%; P 0.05). Among 101 patients with positive results for HCV Ab who were tested for HCV RNA, 53 (52.5%; 95% CI = 42.8% - 61.9%) had HCV RNA in their serum samples. Moreover, 40 patients had results for HCV genotyping including 29 (72.5%) HCV genotype 3 and 11 (27.5%) HCV genotype 1. Conclusions: Hepatitis C had a high seroprevalence of 5.87% in patients with IDH in Sistan and Baluchistan while hepatitis B had a low seroprevalence of 0.29% that is unusual in a region with 3% prevalence of hepatitis B in the general population.