Hepatitis E virus-associated aplastic anaemia: the first case of its kind

Here we report the case of a 32-year-old Pakistani male, who developed severe aplastic anaemia after a severe attack of acute hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. His laboratory test values were not in normal ranges. The liver enzymes were elevated. Serologic and/or molecular-based tests for hepatitis A, B, C, D, G, transfusion transmitted virus (TTV) and B19 were negative, whereas anti-HEV IgM and HEV RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also detected in the patient sample. The patient received immunosuppressive therapy for 6 months; however, he did not show response to this kind of therapy. The results of our case clearly show the causative role of HEV in the development of aplastic anaemia that might not be ignored.