PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV), HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) AND OCCULT HBV IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS IN THE ARMED FORCES HOSPITAL AT AL HADA- TAIF, SAUDI ARABIA

Prof. Mohammed Osman El Hassan Gadour MRCP, FRCP*, Dr. Mohammed Mesfer Algethami MD, FCCP, Mohammed Ali Algarni and May Ebaidan Althobaiti

ABSTRACT

Introduction The prevalence of HBV and HCV in the general community and in hemodialysis population differs between countries and even in the same country. The wide implementation of HBV vaccination in Saudi Arabia and the adoption of new control and prevention measures had contributed significantly to low prevalence rates reported recently. The aim of this study is to determine seroprevalence for HBV and HCV for hemodialysis patients in our hospital. Materials and Methods: Demographic and biomedical data were collected via questionnaires from the electronic files of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Third generation ELISA and polymerase chain reaction were used to look for serology, DNA and RNA of HBV and HCV. Data were analyzed and discussed. Results: We included 164 patients in this study, all were Saudi. Their ages ranged between 11 and 103 years. Only five of these patients were tested positive for HBs Ag (seroprevalence of 3.0%). PCR for HBV was tested in 49 patients, only one turned to be positive. None of tested patients had occult HBV infection. HCV was tested for in 156 of our patients. Six of the patients were positive for both HCV Ab and HCV PCR (seroprevalence of 5.1%.). Only four patient had daul infection. Conclusion: The prevalence of Hbs Ag positivity in this study is very low (3%) compared to previous studies. No occult HBV infection was found in the tested patients. The prevalence of HCV was also low (5.1%).

Keywords: seroprevalence, HBs Ag, HBV PCR, HCV Ab, HCV PCR.