Prevalence of hepatitis C among thalassemic patients reffering to Kerman university of medical sciences hospital NO:1 in 1996

this prospective case-control study was carried out to evaluate the Prevalence of positive cases of anti-HCV Ab in 107 thalassemic patients  and 107 children without any previous history of blood transfusion as a control group.ELISA GENERATION II was used for serologic investigation and then positive cases were confiemed  by RIBA generation I.the average age of thalassemic patients was 9.2+_4.3 years and those of control group was 8.9+_4.2 years.45.1% of the case group and 39.2% of the control group were female and 54.9% of the case group and 60.8% of the control group were male.Anti-HVC Ab was positive in 22.4% of the thalassemic patients  while there was no positive case in the control group and the difference was statistically significant(p<0.001).the average number of transfusions was 104+_58.2 in anti-HCV Ab positive  thalassemic patients and 85.3+_50.6 in anti-HCV Ab negative patients and the difference was not statistically significant(p=0.126).According to the results of this study,the prevalence of contamination with HCV was zero in normal population of Kernanian children and 22.4% in  thalassemic patients.therefore screening of donated bloods for anti-HCV Ab in order to eliminate the contaminated bloods has a significant bimportant in preventing HCV transmission in highrisk group.