Prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in multitransfused patients with beta-thalassemia

Table 2 Clinical characteristics of anti-HAV positive and anti-HAV negative beta-thalassemic patients

	Anti-HAV (+)2	Anti-HAV (-)	P value
	(n = 133)	(n = 49)
Age (yr)	31.5 ± 9.6	31.8 ± 8.7	0.844
Sex (M/F)	62/71	26/23	0.440
Duration of transfusion therapy (y)	26.5 ± 8.1	27.1 ± 9.6	0.683
Number of transfusions	989 ± 441	772 ± 556	0.020
Splenectomy	47 (35.3%)	25 (51%)	0.055
AST (IU/L)1	38.6 ± 24.2	58.3 ± 36.1	0.001
ALT (IU/L)	49.2 ± 36.2	62.5 ± 40.8	0.039
GGT (IU/L)	29.6 ± 26.0	39.1 ± 27.3	0.057
Albumin (g/dL)	4.7 ± 0.45	4.47 ± 0.57	0.025
Globulins (g/dL)	3.03 ± 0.85	3.26 ± 0.79	0.122
Ferritin (median, ng/mL)	1515	1815	0.590
Anti-HCV (+)	61 (45.9%)	15 (30.6%)	0.064
HCV RNA (+)	36 (27.1%)	8 (16.3%)	0.133

¹Normal levels: Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) < 40 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 40 IU/L, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) < 50 IU/L;

²Anti-HAV: Hepatitis A virus antibody; anti-HCV: Hepatitis C virus antibody.