Prevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections in multiple blood transfusion-dependent thalassemic patients in Asia: A systemic review

Abstract

Background Thalassemia is a hereditary hemolytic anemia marked by a defect in synthesizing one or more globin chains in hemoglobin. In Pakistan, approximately 10,000 patients with thalassemia are primarily dependent on blood transfusions. The β-thalassemia patients require blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. Patients who need blood transfusions are at an increased risk of contracting transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) such as hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV, respectively), as well as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Objective This systemic review aims to assess the prevalence of TTIs in transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia patients in Asia. Methods The data for the systematic review were gathered from PubMed, Google Scholar, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and ScienceDirect using the following keywords: “prevalence, HBV, HCV, HIV, thalassemia, and transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs)," and so on. This review includes the research articles that address the prevalence of viral infections in thalassemic patients following blood transfusion. Results A preliminary search of various databases identified 231 potential studies. 157 duplicate studies were eliminated, and the eligibility of 59 full-length articles was determined. Only 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among the 43 studies analyzed, 11 reported a high prevalence of HCV alone in thalassemic patients, while 21 reported a high prevalence of HCV and HBV infection in thalassemic patients. Eight studies reported the prevalence of all three TTIs examined, namely, HCV, HBV, and HIV, in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia. Conclusion Preventable transfusion-transmitted infections occur frequently, and robust national policies and hemovigilance are required to detect and mitigate the infection risk.

Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Patients with Beta Thalassemia after Multiple Transfusions at a Tertiary Care Hospital

“…Patients with thalassemia are at increased risk for contracting blood borne microbiological infectious disorders, among other issues stemming from the need for frequent blood transfusions 8 . This has the potential to worsen thalassemia victims' health and quality of life, and perhaps raise their risk of complications and fatality.…”

A Comparative Study of Chemiluminiscence Immunoassay (Clia) and Immunochromatographic Technique (Ict) for ?-Thalassemia (Major) Patients in Local Population

“…Thalassemia, being an autosomal recessive disorder exhibits a unique characteristic of severe hemolysis in its victims. It is the most common blood disorder recognized globally with some serious impacts like higher death rates along with economical and emotional stress on the families of affected individuals (Angastiniotis and Lobitz, 2019;Riaz et al, 2022). The root cause of this deadly disease is the different types of mutations that can alter the amino acid sequence of hemoglobin molecules that results in partial or complete absence of globin chains (Shang and Xu, 2017).…”

“…The therapies for the treatment of thalassemia patients include iron chelation, folic acid supplements and regular blood transfusion. The cornerstone therapy is one of the best methods for a better lifespan of the thalassemia patients which includes adequate blood transfusion along with iron chelation (Riaz et al, 2022). The major source for the sustainability of the lives of beta thalassemia major patients is the regular blood transfusion, but this practice can put the lives of patients in danger if the blood will not be properly screened before transfusion.…”

Knowledge and Determinants of Hepatitis B Virus Testing and Vaccination Status among Sickle cell Disease Patients

“…In other to prevent infection, most transfusion centre's apply the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test for HBV detection during donor screening, yet cases of post-transfusion Hepatitis infection has been reported indicating that ELISA test is not entirely effective [5]. The highly recommended and more reliable Nucleic Acid tests such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests are costly and currently not a routine test for donor blood in lowincome resource countries such as the Sub-Saharan Africa.…”