Research Article Hepatitis C among Egyptian Patients Referred for Bone Marrow Examination: Seroprevalence and Analysis of Hematological Findings Somaia Mohammed Mousa Clinical Pathology Department, Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, P.O. Box 99, Manial El-Roda, Cairo 11553, Egypt Correspondence should be addressed to Somaia Mohammed Mousa; smamousa@gmail.com Received 2 February 2014; Revised 17 March 2014; Accepted 21 March 2014; Published 10 April 2014 Academic Editor: Peter J. Quesenberry Copyright © 2014 Somaia Mohammed Mousa. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Hepatitis C is a signifcant public health problem in Egypt where the highest prevalence (14.7%) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) exists. HCV prevalence is even higher among clinical populations and groups at risk of exposure to infection. Chronic HCV infection is associated with several hematological complications that may necessitate bone marrow (BM) examination. Te aim of this study is to estimate HCV prevalence among patients referred for BM examination and to explore hematological and BM fndings among HCV positive patients. One hundred adult patients referred for BM examination were included in the study and screened for HCV antibodies. Patients’ clinical, hematological, and BM fndings were recorded. Te seroprevalence of HCV among patients referred for BM examination was 42%. Te most common indication for BM examination among HCV positive patients was peripheral cytopenias (88.1%). Te most common cytopenia detected was thrombocytopenia (85.7%). Te most common diagnosis among HCV positive patients was hypersplenism (52.4%) followed by B-lymphoproliferative disorders (19%) and then immune thrombocytopenic purpura (11.9%). In conclusion, HCV prevalence among patients referred for BM examination is higher than that estimated in the general population. Patients with unexplained peripheral cytopenias should be tested for HCV. 1. Introduction Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem in Egypt. Egypt has the highest HCV prevalence worldwide [1]. Te estimated prevalence of HCV in Egypt is 14.7% among general population in the year 2008 [2]. HCV preva- lence is even higher among hospitalized patients and special clinical populations [3]. Most HCV-infected patients have no hepatic symptoms, and extrahepatic syndromes may be the reason for which they seek medical advice [4]. Chronic HCV infection is associated with several benign as well as malig- nant hematological complications. HCV is a lymphotropic virus [5] that could be associated with lymphoproliferative disorders including B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and monoclonal gammopathies [6]. Peripheral cytopenias are common hematological derangements that are associated with HCV [7]. Tey occur because of peripheral sequestra- tion in the spleen (hypersplenism), peripheral destruction by immune mechanism, or antiviral therapy [8]. Patients with HCV infection may be referred for bone marrow (BM) examination due to any of these complications. Te aim of this work is to study the prevalence of HCV infection among Egyptian patients referred for BM examination and to explore hematological and BM fndings among HCV positive patients. 2. Patients and Methods Te study included 100 patients referred to the Hematology Unit, Clinical Pathology Department, Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University. Patients were referred from diferent hospital departments for BM examination due to various indications. Non-Egyptians and patients below the age of 14 years were excluded from the study. Te frst 100 patients who met the study criteria were consecutively Hindawi Publishing Corporation Bone Marrow Research Volume 2014, Article ID 549716, 4 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/549716