Seronegative and occult hepatitis C virus infections in patients with hematological disorders.

Studies of the association between seronegative or occult (OCI) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and hematological disorders have yielded controversial results. The aim of this study was to investigate seronegative and OCI HCV infections in among patients with different hematological disorders. This study included 90 anti-HCV-negative patients with either benign or malignant hematological disorders (group I), along with 20 age- and sex-matched apparently healthy subjects, who served as controls (group II). We tested for HCV RNA in sera and PBMCs by RT-nested PCR and for liver enzyme activity. Seronegativity and OCI were detected in 66.7 % and 20 % respectively, of the studied cases (group I). OCI was more evident in Hodgkin lymphoma and thalassemia. A significant increase in AST activity was observed in the seronegative and OCI groups and in ALT and AST in HCV-seronegative or OCI and negative HCV patients (p ≤ 0.05). Seronegativity and OCI are a significant clinical problem in patients with hematological disorders, warranting wider use of molecular tests combined with periodic evaluations of liver functions for diagnostic purposes.