Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among hemodialysis patients: cohort study

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus that primarily infects the liver and can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis. HCV is one of the leading causes of liver disease worldwide and can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer if left untreated. Dialysis is the most common reliable and accessible therapeutic approach in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) which increases survival and life expectancy in patients. Despite the screening tests on blood products and devices, nosocomial infections are one of leading causes of morbidity and mortality in ESRD. HCV is more prevalent in ESRD compared to the general population, with an overall prevalence of 9.9% among chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients in high- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of occult HCV infection in CHD. All clinical, and demographic data was registered beside blood samples, serological testes and HCV-RNAs from 95 patients; 60.7% were male, with mean age of OCI positive cases was 32.3 ± 14.3 years. Furthermore, three case had detectable viral load which was 54 IU/ml. Inconclusion, there is a risk of OCI among CHD patients that needs follow-up by molecular testing.