Frequency Of anti-HCV Antibodies Research Articles

Prevalence of hepatitis C infection in hemodialysis patients: Report from 37 hemodialysis centers in Libya

Background/Aims: Data on the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Libya, and particularly among hemodialysis patients, are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients at 37 dialysis centers in Libya and review the demographic features in this group of patients. Patients and Methods: The present cross-sectional study included a total of 2325 patients who had spent at least 3 months in hemodialysis at 37 dialysis centers in different cities across the three main regions of Libya (Western, Eastern, and Southern regions). There were 1028 (44.2%) female and 1297 (55.8%) male with mean age 53.4 ± 15 years. Hypertension (36.4%), diabetes mellitus (33.3%), renal diseases (10.9%), genetic diseases (7.5%), and unclear reasons (12%) were diverse underlying causes of end-stage renal disease in these patients. Anti-HCV antibody was screened by a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results: The overall seroprevalence of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients in Libya was 16.7% (388/2325), ranging from 0% to 26.3% at different centers. The overall frequency of anti-HCV antibodies was higher in Western region (18.9%) than Eastern (18.3%) and Southern (6.1%) regions of Libya. It is noteworthy that the prevalence of HCV was 0% in numbers of dialysis centers across the three regions. The duration of hemodialysis was significantly longer in HCV-positive hemodialysis patients than in HCV-negative patients (P = 0.01). Hepatitis B surface antigen was positive in 92 hemodialysis patients (4%), of them 8 patients (8.7%) had coinfection with HCV infection. Conclusion: The present study showed an intermediate-prevalence rate of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients in Libya. The relatively low prevalence of HCV infection in the general Libyan population and HCV infection associated with a longer duration of hemodialysis indicate nosocomial transmission due to inappropriate infection control practices as the main HCV route of infection in these health-care settings.

Infección por el virus de la hepatitis C en individuos transfundidos antes de 1994 en Antioquia, Colombia

Introducción: la infección por el virus de la hepatitis C es un problema de salud pública. Según datos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, se estiman 184 millones de casos de infección por VHC en el mundo. El principal factor de riesgo en países en desarrollo corresponde a la transfusión de componentes sanguíneos. En Colombia, en 1993, se reglamentó el tamizaje serológico en los bancos de sangre para diferentes agentes infecciosos, incluido el VHC; sin embargo, los datos de infección por VHC en la población transfundida antes de esta fecha es limitada.
 Objetivo: describir la frecuencia de infección por el VHC en una población de individuos transfundidos antes de 1994 en Antioquia.
 Materiales y Métodos: un total de 166 individuos transfundidos antes de 1994 aceptaron participar en el estudio. A partir de las muestras de suero se realizó la detección de anticuerpos totales contra el VHC (anti-VHC) mediante prueba de ELISA y en las muestras positivas se determinó la presencia del genoma viral por RT-PCR de la región no codificante 5’.
 Resultados y conclusiones: en el población de estudio se encontró una frecuencia de anticuerpos anti-VHC de 6,6% (11/166) y presencia del genoma del VHC en 7/11 de las muestras; el genotipo 1 se identificó en 4 de las muestras. No se encontró asociación de otros factores de riesgo diferentes a transfusión en los individuos con marcadores de infección por el VHC. Este estudio aporta datos a la epidemiología de la infección por el VHC en Colombia.

Frequency of anti-HCV antibodies in patients with lichen planus.

To determine the frequency of anti-HCV antibodies, identify risk factors associated with HCV infection and to screen asymptomatic carriers in patients with lichen planus. A prospective study. This study was carried out in the out patient department of Dermatology, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, from October, 1999 to September, 2001. A total of 184 clinically diagnosed cases of lichen planus (LP) were selected for the study. Blood samples of all the patients were tested for anti hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV Ab). Polymerase chain reaction for hepatitis C virus was done in patients with positive anti-HCV Ab. Transcutaneous liver biopsy was performed in 7 patients with positive HCV-RNA. The histopathological results were evaluated using validated Metavir and Knodell scoring systems. Out of 184 LP patients, 43 (23.4%) were anti-HCV antibodies positive. Females were predominantly affected and male to female ratio was 1:5.1. Maximum positivity for anti-HCV was observed in age group 31-40 years (39.53%) followed by 41-50 years (25.58%). Eighty-one percent patients had history of dental treatment and 63% had received multiple injections for various ailments. Forty percent patients had family history of jaundice while 26% had jaundice in the past. Ten out of 16 anti-HCV antibody positive patients, checked for HCV-RNA, had high levels of virus in blood. Transcutaneous liver biopsy done in 7 patients revealed underlying liver disease at various stages. Four patients treated with alpha-interferon and ribazole therapy for liver disease, showed marked improvement in their skin disease. A high prevalence of HCV infection was detected in patients with lichen planus. Patients with lichen planus should be screened for HCV carrier state.

Increased prevalence of HCV antibodies in dialyzed Ashkenazi Jews—a possible ethnic predisposition

The prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) antibodies in dialysis patients is considerably higher than that found among healthy blood donors. This increased seroprevalence has been correlated to increased duration of dialysis, mode of dialysis and to the number of blood transfusions administered. However, factors other than nosocomial ones also seem to play a part in disease transmission. The role of the patient's ethnic origin, possibly reflecting on his/her genetic makeup has received scant attention. In this study, HCV seroprevalence in our dialysis population, which consists of three major ethnic subgroups (Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews and Arabs), was examined. Altogether HCV seropositivity was determined in 120 dialysed patients—65 males/55 females (76 hemodialysis, 44 CAPD), using second generation ELISA confirmed by RIBA-2. Mean age was 59.7±15.7 (range 16–86 years). Patients had to have been on dialysis for a minimum of 3 months (mean duration 45.2±44.5 months). Patients whose end-stage renal disease was due to diabetic nephropathy (DN) or those who had previously been transplanted (TP) were considered as separate groups and compared to the group as a whole. Of the 120 patients, there were 49 Ashkenazi Jews (40.8%), 57 Sephardi Jews (47.5%) and 14 Arabs (11.7%). Overall HCV prevalence was 21.7% (26/120) with a significantly greater prevalence in HD compared to CAPD (30.3 vs. 6.8%, P>0.01). Respective values for Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews and Arabs were 30.6, 15.8, and 14.3% (P>0.01, Ashkenazi Jews vs. Sephardi Jews and Arabs). DN had a lower 3.7% while TP had a higher 46.1% prevalence compared to the group as a whole (P>0.01). In general, the increased frequency of anti HCV antibodies was significantly correlated to the duration of dialysis and the number of blood transfusions administered. This, however, was not the case in the greater prevalence of HCV found in Ashkenazi Jews compared to Sephardi Jews and Arabs which was independent of the above factors and the mode of dialysis. Our results showing increased HCV seropositivity in Ashkenazi Jews compared to Sephardi Jews and Arabs, suggest that ethnic factors might predispose to HCV transmission and infectivity.