title: Hepatitis C infection in two urban hemodialysis units.
abstract: We determined the prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in 90 patients and 37 staff members of two hemodialysis units utilizing a recently developed anti-HCV recombinant based assay. Eleven patients (12%) were anti-HCV(+). Of these, eight (73%) had antibodies to the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) indicating prior hepatitis B infection; one patient was hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)(+). All staff members were anti-HCV(-), although seven (19%) of them were anti-HBc(+). Alanine aminotransferase elevations were present at the time of the study in four anti-HCV(-) patients and in only one anti-HCV(+) patient. All anti-HCV(+) (mean 59 +/- 74; range 3 to 269 units) and 85% of anti-HCV(-) patients (mean 16 +/- 27; range 0 to 204 units) had received multiple blood transfusions (P = 0.348). Among 50 patients tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 43% of anti-HCV(+) as compared to only 7% anti-HCV(-) were positive (P = 0.003). There was a history of intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) in eight (72%) of the anti-HCV(+) patients and in only seven (9%) of the anti-HCV(-) group (P = 0.00001). The results of this serologic survey suggests that anti-HCV positivity is prevalent, although much less than anti-HBc, among our dialysis patients, whereas it was not detected among staff members. The prevalence rate of anti-HCV was statistically significantly higher among anti-HIV(+) and IVDA patients but not in multi-transfused patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Emeryville, California.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Jeffers
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: de Medina
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Interian
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bourgoignie
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Vaamonde
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006436:Hemodialysis Units, Hospital; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000276:immunology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies