Hepatitis B and A markers in children with thalassaemia and sickle-cell disease in Riyadh.

Sera from 40 children with beta-thalassaemia major, 54 children with sickle-cell disease and 120 matched controls were examined by radio-immunoassay for hepatitis B and A markers. The overall prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers was highest in children with thalassaemia followed by children with sickle-cell disease and lowest in the control group. The hepatitis A marker showed a reversed pattern, being lowest in the thalassaemic group. The high incidence of hepatitis B infection was presumably due to frequent blood transfusions, frequent exposure to hospital environment and the high carrier rate in the community. Frequent blood transfusions, however, seem to protect against hepatitis A virus infection.