Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection among Patients with Hematological Malignancies in Zagazig University Hospitals, Egypt

H. A. Atia, Tarek M. H. Ibrahim, Ashraf A. Hammam, Ashraf Metwally, Shereen Elshorbagy, Ahmad M. Hassaneen

Abstract: Background and aim of the work HEV problem in Egypt is often underestimated. This may be because acute viral hepatitis due to HEV is rare while seroincidence is a common event. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of HEV in patients with Hematological Malignancies and to evaluate the association of HEV infection to other patients' parameters. Patients and methods This cross sectional, descriptive study has been carried out on 82 patients, and their hematological malignancies diagnosed clinically, histopathologically and radiologically. laboratory investigations and HEV IgG by ELISA was done to all patients. Results The overall prevalence of HEV among the studied population was 52.4%. The highest prevalence is seen in patients with lymphoma 66.6%. Comparison between HEV IgG positive and negative patients showed that there were no significant differences as regards demographic, laboratory or sonographic data of these patients. Conclusion Hematological malignancies and chemotherapy do not affect the seroprevalence of HEV among those patients when compared to general population.

Keywords: Hepatitis, HEV IgG, hematological malignancy, immune suppression