الفهرس 
ThalassemiaOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
summary
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 estimated out of
1.5 million live births, 1000 children with thalassemia are born annually .
Patients with thalassemia 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 patients with thalassemia. 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 considered the gold
standard for assessing hepatic fibrosis. However, it is an invasive and painful
procedure that may lead to very serious life-threatening
complications, limiting its acceptance and repetition in usually asymptomatic
patients. In addition, the accuracy of liver biopsy in assessing fibrosis may be