الفهرس 
ThalassemiaOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Summary
Introduction
The thalassemias are a heterogeneous group of genetic heritable
disorders of hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis, considered as the most common
monogenic disorder in the world, affecting men and women equally and
poses a severe health and economic burden to patients and families at
risk. Thalassemia is a major health problem in Egypt since it is estimated
that out of 1.5 million live births, 1000 children with thalassemia are
born annually.
Thalassemics can develop liver fibrosis because of iron liver
overload and hepatitis virus C (HCV) infection. Multicenter crosssectional
studies have reported that the development and the severity of
liver fibrosis are strongly related to the extent of liver iron overload and
to the presence of chronic HCV infection. HCV infection is the main risk
factor for liver fibrosis in transfusion-dependent thalassemics. Excess
liver iron is now clearly recognized as a cofactor for the development of
advanced fibrosis in patients with HCV infection. Although, hepatic
fibrogenesis has long been thought to be an irreversible process, it is now
evident that it is a dynamic process with significant potential for
reversal; unlike cirrhosis, which is irreversible. Identification of liver
fibrosis at an early stage would be of great significance.
Liver biopsy is an essential method for assessing fibrosis and it
continues to have an important role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and
management of patients with elevated results of iron studies and
abnormal liver function test results. Therefore, liver biopsy is currently
considered the gold standard for assessing hepatic fibrosis.
However, it is an invasive and painful procedure, with rare but
potential life threatening complications, limiting its acceptance and