Hepatitis C virus infection in haemodialysis patients

Aust N Z J Med. 1991 Feb;21(1):22-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1991.tb02996.x.

Abstract

Antibody to hepatitis C has been variously detected in 1-20% of haemodialysis patients in recent studies from overseas. To determine the frequency of antibodies to the C100-3 protein of the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) a cross-sectional study was performed in 60 patients on maintenance haemodialysis in Western Sydney. Six patients (10%) were anti-HCV seropositive. Four of the six anti-HCV positive patients were also hepatitis B core antibody positive, compared with nine of 54 anti-HCV negative patients (p less than 0.05). All anti-HCV positive patients had received multiple blood transfusions. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was not useful as a screening test. Recent evidence suggests that anti-HCV seropositivity underestimates infectivity.

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Viral*
  • Blood Transfusion
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Hepacivirus / immunology*
  • Hepatitis Antibodies / analysis*
  • Hepatitis B Core Antigens / immunology
  • Hepatitis C / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis C / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / microbiology
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / therapy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology*
  • Renal Dialysis*
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins*
  • Viral Proteins / immunology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Viral
  • C100 protein, hepatitis C virus
  • Hepatitis Antibodies
  • Hepatitis B Core Antigens
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins
  • Viral Proteins