OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of consanguinity in b-thalassemia major patients and its association with age, gender and hepatitis C virus antibody positivity. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2013 to July 2014 at various hospitals of district Bannu in the North Western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Data was recorded on a predesigned questionnaire. RESULTS: Out of 180 subjects, 133(74%) parents were cousins, while 47(26%) were unrelated. The frequency of anti-hepatitis C virus antibody positivity was 14(7.77%). CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of the disease in the study region was due to consanguineous marriages.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of consanguinity in b-thalassemia major patients and its association with age, gender and hepatitis C virus antibody positivity. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2013 to July 2014 at various hospitals of district Bannu in the North Western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Data was recorded on a predesigned questionnaire. RESULTS: Out of 180 subjects, 133(74%) parents were cousins, while 47(26%) were unrelated. The frequency of anti-hepatitis C virus antibody positivity was 14(7.77%). CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of the disease in the study region was due to consanguineous marriages.