FREQUENCY OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD COUNT ABNORMALITIES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS C

Liver disease causes a greater range of hematological changes than does disease in any other organ. Viral hepatitis and its sequel are the important hepatic disorders. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered to be the main etiological factor for chronic liver disease. Present study was done to determine the frequency of peripheral blood count abnormalities in chronic active hepatitis (CAH) caused by Hepatitis C virus (HCV). It was a cross sectional study which was conducted in Department of Haematology, Shaikh Zayed Hospital Lahore from June to December 2010. In this study the frequency of anemia was found to be 41.3%, neutropenia 16.6% and thrombocytopenia 22.6 % in CAH caused by HCV. Patients who develop hematological abnormalities during treatment need hematological growth factor support so that treatment could be continued without hindrance.