Prevalence of infection with the hepatitis B and C viruses and the human immunodeficiency virus in 39 Moroccan children with hemophilia

Viral infections transmitted by blood products have become the leading caus e of mortality and morbidity in hemophiliacs in industrialized countries. T he present study was undertaken to show that these infections are less comm on in Morocco, where fresh frozen plasma remains the main blood product use d to treat hemophilia. Thirty-nine hemophiliacs aged 13 months to 20 years followed at the Casablanca National Reference Center for Hemophilia underwe nt serum assays of the following parameters: transaminases, markers for the HBV (HBs Ag, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc), anti-HCV, and anti-HIV. Positive ant i-HCV tests (second-generation ELISA) were confirmed by Western blot. The h emophilia was severe (factor VIII or IX < 1%) in 38% of patients, mild (> 5 %) in 45%, and moderate in 17%. The study was conducted in December 1994, i mmediately before the introduction of routine HCV testing of blood donors. All the patients were negative for HBs Ag and anti-HIV: Transaminase levels exceeded 40 U/L in 29.7% of cases. Anti-HBs was positive in 32.3% of patie nts, anti-HBc in 38.7%, and anti-HCV in 41%. These findings are comparable to those previously reported in series of hemophiliacs treated predominantl y by fresh frozen plasma. Although the rates of blood-borne viral infection s were far lower than those seen in countries where anti-hemophilia concent rates were widely used in the 1980s, the findings from this study provide a vivid illustration of the urgent need for virus-free anti-hemophilia facto rs.