THE PREVALENCE OF HCV INFECTION AMONG DIALYSIS PATIENTS AT KHMC

*Dr. Lamees Abasi, MD, Dr. Bahieh Al-Abadi, MD, Dr. Nisreen Abu- Hazeem, MD, Dr. Maha Al-Amer, MD, Dr. Sameer Al Shayyab, MD

ABSTRACT

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of HCV infection, in relation to age and sex, among haemodialysis patients at KHMC. Materials and methods: This study was conducted in the period between January 2018 and January 2019. Frozen serum samples for 105 patients (72 males and 33 females) were screened for HCV antibody by ELISA technique and PCR was used as a confirmatory method. We have classified patients into three major groups according to the age. Results: The overall prevalence in the patients being evaluated for HCV infection was found to be 28.6%, the majority of cases were found in the age group (41-60) with a prevalence of 56.7% and a male predominance (76.7%) of cases. Conclusion: Haemodialysis patients should be screened on a routine basis for HCV infection since the risk of acquiring HCV infection is more among those patients, they also should be monitored so that to determine the risk factors for HCV contamination and to enhance methods to control this major problem.

Keywords: HCV, Haemodialysis, Prevalence.