title: Hepatitis C infection among dialysis patients: a comparison between patients on maintenance haemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
abstract: Three hundred and thirty-nine dialysis patients from two centres (278 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and 61 on maintenance haemodialysis (HD) were tested for antibody against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) using first-generation enzyme immunoassay kits (Ortho Diagnostics). Anti-HCV was detected in five (1.8%) CAPD patients and ten (16.4%) HD patients (P less than 0.00001). Anti-HCV was confirmed to be positive in three (1.1%) CAPD patients and eight (13.2%) HD patients using neutralisation enzyme immunoassay kits (Abbott Laboratories). The marked difference in prevalence of anti-HCV among CAPD and HD patients was related to a significantly greater transfusion requirement of the HD patients. All the anti-HCV positive patients had been transfused. The risk of HCV infection was significantly increased in those who had received more than five units of blood. Four (26.7%) anti-HCV positive patients had one or more episodes of elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lok
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010531:Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies