A study of innate and adaptive immune responses in beta-thalassemic patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Thalassemia major is an inherited disorder particularly common in people of Mediterranean, African, and Southeast Asian ancestry. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for 80 - 90% of post transfusion hepatitis in beta-Thalassemic patients. Marked liver iron overload, which is often inevitable in patients on regular blood transfusion, and HCV infection have been shown to have a potentiating effect on hepatic fibrogenesis in thalassemic patients.