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Hepatitis E virus infection in patients from Saudi Arabia with sickle cell anaemia and β‐thalassemia major: possible transmission by blood transfusion

SUMMARY. The seroprevalence of antibodies against hepatitis E virus (HEV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) was investigated in Saudi children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) (50 patients: 28 boys, 22 girls; age range 2–14 years) and P‐thalassemia major (28 patients: 12 boys. 16 girls; age range 2–12 years). The SCA patients were from the Gizan area (South) while the thalassemics were from the Riyadh area (Central province). The prevalence of hepatitis E virus antibody (HEVAb) in patients with SCA (18.0%) and in those with β‐thalassemia major (10.7%) was higher than in the control groups (5.5% and 2.8%) but this did not reach the level of statistical significance. In contrast to the situation with HEV, hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb) positivity was significantly higher in patients with SCA (16.0%) and in thalassemics (57.1%) than in the respective control groups. Although the difference in HEV seropositivity between P‐thalassemia major, SCA patients and their respective controls is not statistically significant, the possibility of blood‐borne HEV in the Saudi population cannot be excluded. Further investigations using HEV‐specific polymerase chain reaction techniques are required to confirm whether transmission of HEV through blood preparations or transfusion is possible.