Transfusion Transmitted Infections in Multiple Transfused Thalassemia Patients in Rahim Yar Khan

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of transfusion transmitted infections in frequently transfused beta thalassemia patients & to determine the association of transfusion transmitted infections with age, gender and number of blood transfusions. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was performed from June to December 2018 on 350 samples of diagnosed patients of Bata Thalassemia Major and Beta Thalassemia Intermedia by Convenient Sampling technique registered at Centre for Thalassemia Care, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan receiving repeated blood transfusions. The cases were distributed into three separate age groups, i.e., 200 transfusions developed 9% more infections than the patients getting transfusions < 200. All the obtained data was inserted and studied in SPSS version 20. CONCLUSION: This study flourished that the most frequent infection among beta thalassemia patients was HCV followed by Malaria, HBV and HIV. The risk of transmission of Transfusion Transmitted Infections is directly proportional to the number of transfusions. All blood banks and transfusion centers have to implement mandatory screening of blood against the TTIs.

Keywords

• thalassemia
• transfusion transmitted infections (ttis)