Hepatitis C virus infection in patients with hemophilia in Isfahan, Iran.

OBJECTIVES

Patients with hereditary bleeding disorders are at risk of viral infection such as hepatitis C due to frequent transfusion of blood and blood products. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C and associated risk factors in hemophilic patients in Isfahan, the second big province in Iran.

METHODS

In a descriptive study, patients with hemophilia in Isfahan province were enrolled. A questionnaire, including demographic and risk factors of hepatitis C was completed through a structured interview with closed questions by a trained interviewer for each patient and HCV-Ab test results were extracted from patient records.

RESULTS

In this study, 232 of 350 patients with hemophilia A and B (66%) were positive for hepatitis C. Based on Multivariate Logistic Regression model, no independent risk factor was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence of hepatitis C in patients with haemophilia A and B in Isfahan is high. Since no independent risk factor for hepatitis C disease was found in this high risk group, it can be concluded that multitransfusion is the only predictor for hepatitis C.