title: Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in patients on peritoneal dialysis--a multicenter study.
abstract: The prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) was determined in 333 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients from 10 German dialysis units, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the second generation (ELISA 2nd gen) which detects antibodies to a structural (C22) and to non-structural (C33c, C100, 5-1-1) recombinant antigens of HCV. Sera from 18/333 (5.4%) patients were anti-HCV positive versus 11/295 (3.7%) when the sera were tested by an ELISA of the first generation (ELISA 1st gen) containing only a nonstructural antigen (C100). In the 18 sera positive by ELISA 2nd gen, antibodies against at least one viral protein were found by recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) in 15/333 (4.5%) patients. In the sera of 11/15 (73.3%) patients HCV RNA was detected by nested PCR. Epidemiological evaluation of the patients revealed that the prevalence of anti-HCV was correlated to the female sex (p = 0.005), presence of anti-HBc (p = 0.006), duration of total dialysis (hemodialysis HD and PD) (p = 0.012), duration of HD alone (p = 0.025) and previous renal transplantation (p < 0.001). Only a weak correlation was found to blood transfusions (p = 0.041) and elevation of serum ALT concentration (p = 0.055). But no correlation was found to diagnoses of renal failure (p = 0.129), duration of PD (p = 0.963) and past surgical procedures (p = 1.0). Four of nine peritoneal dialysates of anti-HCV positive patients were found positive for HCV RNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Technical University of Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gladziwa
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schlipköter
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lorbeer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cholmakow
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roggendorf
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Sieberth
mesh_terms: D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D010531:Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies