title: Hepatitis B or non-A, non-B virus infection in multitransfused thalassaemic patients.
abstract: We undertook a four year study of 128 thalassaemic patients who had undergone several transfusions, to determine the incidence of hepatitis B virus markers and the activities of transaminases in their sera each month. The results showed that the possibility of these patients contracting hepatitis B virus infection is still high, although on only one occasion was a transient antigenaemia found, indicating low viral replication. Furthermore, the probability of contact with hepatitis B virus increases with the number of transfusions and, therefore, with age. About 25% of these patients were positive for hepatitis B markers and 80% for other hepatitis markers including the case of cytomegalovirus hepatitis.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000209:etiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000637:Transaminases