Abstract:
Background: Hepatitis C is now a very common disease in our setup. A majority of
patients suffering from this illness present with thrombocytopenia while being investigated
for any other medical or surgical illness.
Objective: To determine the frequency of association of thrombocytopenia to hepatitis C
in newly diagnosed cases.
To identify the risk factors for acquiring hepatitis C.
Study design and duration of study: It is a Descriptive study conducted at the
Department of Hematology (Pathology), Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from May 2009
to June 2010.
Materials and methods: Hundred consecutive patients who were diagnosed for the first
time to be suffering from Hepatitis C in the Pathology Department were included in the
study. A detailed history was taken to identify any risk factors for the disease causation of
Hepatitis C. A peripheral blood sample was taken and complete blood picture analysis was
performed to notify the presence of thrombocytopenia.
Results: Out of all the 100 patients who were diagnosed for the first time, 25% (n=25) had
thrombocytopenia (Platelet count <150 x 103/ul) as a presenting feature. Out of those 25
patients, 13 were females and 12 were males. 8 patients out of these had platelet count <
100 x 103/ul. The most common risk factor in 30% patients (n=30) was frequent management
from local General Practitioner, followed by patients with significant history of surgical or
invasive procedures in 27% (n=27) and history of dental procedures in 23% patients (n=23).
The next in sequence are 17% of those having history of delivery by midwives and history
of previous blood transfusion in 10% patients. In order of frequency the other risk factors
are; patients with family history of Hepatitis C (10%), patients having multiple sex partners
(5%) and finally intra venous drug abusers (2%). However none of the patients who
presented to the department had history of dialysis or organ transplant. There was an
overlap of risk factors amongst the patients.
Conclusion: There is a high frequency of presentation of thrombocytopenia in patients
with hepatitis C, causing a considerable morbidity, as diagnosis is delayed and the patients
are mismanaged due to lack of awareness and different beliefs regarding the diagnosis and
management of this common disease.
