Eradication of hepatitis C virus infection in thalassemia patients in Iran using various treatment strategies

Moghimbeygi, Meisam; Alavian, Seyed Moayed

doi:10.1016/j.jve.2020.100006

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“… 22 According to the previous studies from Iran, it can be concluded that from 1998 to 2017, the prevalence of HCV in thalassemia patients has decreased significantly due to the implementation of donor screening programs and the effective antiviral treatment by direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). 15 , 20 , 39 , 40 So, the prevalence of HCV viremia among thalassemia patients in a study conducted in 2006–2007 was 22.3% 30 compared to HCV viremia of 1.6% in the present study in 2020.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

“…HCV infection, with over 40% mortality in thalassemia patients, is considered a challenging transfusion-transmitted infection in Iran. 20 In the absence of a prophylactic vaccine, the best way to control this disease is to improve blood transfusion safety. HCV prevalence rate in thalassemia patients can be used to evaluate the blood safety filters in different regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high prevalence of HCV in this population is related to the transfusion of HCV-seronegative viremic blood units donated during the window period. 12 Although screening of blood units based on detection of anti-HCV antibodies has significantly decreased the rate of HCV infection in patients with thalassemia in Iran, 15 , 20 the current blood screening policy is inadequate to eliminate transfusion-transmitted HCV infection. Therefore, the blood screening strategies should be thoroughly reappraised, and sensitive molecular assays should be included in the screening process of donated blood for HCV infection in Iran.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Molecular Evaluation of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Multi-transfused Thalassemia Patients in South of Iran

Farshadpour¹,

Taherkhani²

2022

Oman Med J

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Objectives: Information regarding the magnitude of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among thalassemia patients is of great importance for health care providers to assess blood safety and improve the quality of screening systems. Therefore, this study evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and genotypic pattern of HCV infection among β-thalassemia patients in South Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2019. All patients with β-thalassemia major from Borazjan, Bushehr, Delvar, Kangan, and Ahram cities participated in the study and attended the transfusion center of the Bushehr University of Medical Sciences located in southern Iran. Serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-HCV antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seropositive serum samples were tested for detection of HCV viremia and genotypes by semi-nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Results: Of 125 thalassemia patients, 22 (17.6%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies and two (1.6%) had HCV viremia with genotype 3a. HCV seroprevalence increased with age, so anti-HCV seropositive thalassemia patients had significantly higher mean age than anti-HCV seronegative patients. HCV seroprevalence was higher among female patients, residents of Kangan, patients with blood transfusion every two weeks, Fars patients, and thalassemia patients with alanine aminotransferase levels of < 20 IU/L and aspartate aminotransferase levels of > 80 IU/L. Nevertheless, anti-HCV seroprevalence among thalassemia patients was not statistically associated with these variables.Conclusions: These results indicate ongoing HCV incidence among the thalassemia population in this region. Transfusion of HCV-seronegative viremic blood units donated during the infectious window period contributes to HCV infection in thalassemia patients. These findings highlight the need to include sensitive molecular assays in the screening process of donated blood for HCV infection in Iran.

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