Investigation of the change in seroprevalence of viral hepatitis in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment over the years: A Single-Center Study

Abstract

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate HBV, HCV, and HIV seroprevalence and their 9-year changes in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) treatment in the Giresun province in Turkey. Material-Methods: A total of 607 patients over the age of 18 who received hemodialysis treatment in Giresun – Turkey, provincial and district hospitals in 2013 and 2022 were included in our study. The files of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic characteristics of the patients and serology results of HBV, HCV, HDV, and HIV were recorded. The data was evaluated using the IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 program. Results: A total of 607 patients, 385 of whom received HD treatment in 2013 and 222 who received HD treatment in 2022, were included in the study. 230 (59.7%) in 2013 and 135 (60.8%) in 2022 of male patients. While the mean age of the patients was 60.26±14 years in 2013, it was 63.08±13.18 years in 2022. In 2013, HBsAg positivity was detected in 9 (2.3%), HBV-DNA positivity in 4 (44.4%), anti-HCV positivity in 31 (8.1%), and HCV-RNA positivity in 8 (25.8%) patients. In 2022, HBsAg positivity was detected in 4 (1.8%), HBV DNA positivity in 2 (50%), and anti-HCV positivity in 31 (8.1%) patients. Compared with dialysis duration, the anti-HCV positivity rate was significantly increased in patients with long dialysis duration (p<0.001). Conclusion: In line with the health policies, the epidemiological data obtained support a decrease in the population’s seroprevalence of HBV and HCV. However, according to the results of our study, it was determined that there was no significant decrease in HBsAg seroprevalence in patients who received HD treatment over nine years. As a result, it was concluded that it would be beneficial to closely monitor the seroprevalence of viral hepatitis in patients receiving HD treatment.