Abstract
Viral hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are important causes of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study was performed to assess the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV) and HIV infections in hemodialysis patients of a tertiary care hospital in Uttarakhand. All patients undergoing maintenance HD at our center were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), antibody to HDV (anti-HDV) and HIV antibody by ELISA. Detailed history regarding age, sex, duration of dialysis, blood transfusions, number of dialysis centers, dialyzer reuse and laboratory data was recorded. A total of 118 patients (79 males and 39 females) were followed for 18 months with screening for the presence of HBV, HCV and HIV infections. At baseline, 12 (10.2%) patients were positive for HBsAg, 19 (16.1%) for anti-HCV and 2 (1.7%) for HIV antibody. Over 18 months, one additional patient became HBsAg positive and an additional 17 became anti-HCV-positive to give a total of 36 HCV-positive patients. Dual HBV and HCV infection was seen in 5 (4.2%) and anti-HDV antibodies were found in 1 (0.9%) patient. History of blood transfusions, duration of HD, dialyzerreuse and dialysis at multiple centers were found to be important risk factors for anti-HCV positivity. Implementation and adherence to universal work precautions by dialysis staff is imperative to prevent transmission of these infections.
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