Hepatitis C among families of Thalassemic patients suffering from Hepatitis C in Shahrekord, 1999

Considering the high prevalence of Hepatitis C and its undetermined routes of transmission in 35% of the cases, this survey was performed to find the rate of intrafamilial transmission among the families of Thalassemic patients suffering from Hepatitis C in Shahrekord, 1999. The tests of ALT and anti-HCV antibody were carried out in 136 persons from 25 Thalassemic families at two phases of 6 months apart. The average age of the sample was 22.4±14.3 and 51.5% were female. Five persons had contact with the patient’s needle (Needle stick). No rise in ALT was seen and all of the cases were anti-HCV negative. Also, no case of Hepatitis C was found among the families of Thalassemic patients. In conclusion, intrafamilial transmission was not detected but due to its possibility and since a great number of patients has no other risk factor, this transmission rout could not be ignored