ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Aplastic anemia is a rare but serious complication of viral hepatitis. Both aplastic anemia and viral hepatitis are more common in Korea than in the Western countries. It is necessary to study about the relationship between them. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with aplastic anemia visiting Chonnam University Hospital from 1995 to 1996 were studied for positivity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) to investigate the association of hepatitis virus infection with aplastic anemia. The surface antigen of HBV (HBsAg) and anti-HCV in sera were tested by EIA(enzyme immunoassay), and the presence of HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA in both sera and bone marrow cells was examined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The positivities of HBsAg and anti-HCV in 23 patients with aplastic anemia were 4.3% (1 patient) and 8.7% (2 patients), respectively. The positivity of HBsAg is similar to that of HBsAg in general population of Korea. The positivity of anti-HCV is higher than that of anti-HCV in general population of Korea. One patient had HBV DNA and 3 patients had HCV RNA in their sera. All of the 3 hepatitis C viremic patients received 11 to 15 units of blood products in the past. None of the patients showed the evidence of recent viral hepatitis infection. HBV DNA and HCV RNA were not detected by the PCR in bone marrow cells in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the HBV or HCV might not be a causative agent of aplastic anemia. The higher positivity of anti-HCV in the patients might be due to passive transmission of HCV after transfusion of blood products.