بررسي ميزان شيوع آلودگي به ويروس هپاتيت C در مبتلايان به تالاسمي و بيماران دياليزي در استان كرمان به روش RT-PCR

Prevalence of HCV Infection in Thalassemic and Hemodialysis Patients in Kerman Province-Iran

Background and objectives: People with thalessemia and chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis are prone to blood-born infections, especially hepatitis C due to the long-term transfusion. Recently, hepatitis C has been one of the main health concerns in these patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C and its risk factors in these groups of patients in Kerman province of Iran. Methods: HCV RNA in blood sample of 384 patients (203 hemodialysis cases and 181 thalassemia cases) was evaluated. Results: One hundred thirty (130) out of 384 were infected by HCV. Infected male was predominant (83%). Conclusions: It seems that the frequency of hepatitis C infection in Kerman is higher than the other provinces of Iran. Therefore more attention should be paid to screen of blood before transfusing for these group of patients.