title: Hepatitis C prevalence and risk factors in hemodialysis patients in Central Brazil: a survey by polymerase chain reaction and serological methods.
abstract: An hemodialysis population in Central Brazil was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serological methods to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and to investigate associated risk factors. All hemodialysis patients (n=428) were interviewed in eight dialysis units in Goiânia city. Blood samples were collected and serum samples screened for anti-HCV antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive samples were retested for confirmation with a line immunoassay (LIA). All samples were also tested for HCV RNA by the PCR. An overall prevalence of 46.7% (CI 95%: 42-51.5) was found, ranging from 20.7% (CI 95%: 8.8-38.1) to 90.4% (CI 95%: 79.9-96.4) depending on the dialysis unit. Of the 428 patients, 185 were found to be seropositive by ELISA, and 167 were confirmed positive by LIA, resulting in an anti-HCV prevalence of 39%. A total of 131 patients were HCV RNA-positive. HCV viremia was present in 63.5% of the anti-HCV-positive patients and in 10.3% of the anti-HCV-negative patients. Univariate analysis of risk factors showed that the number of previous blood transfusions, transfusion of blood before mandatory screening for anti-HCV, length of time on hemodialysis, and treatment in multiple units were associated with HCV positivity. However, multivariate analysis revealed that blood transfusion before screening for anti-HCV and length of time on hemodialysis were significantly associated with HCV infection in this population. These data suggest that nosocomial transmission may play a role in the spread of HCV in the dialysis units studied. In addition to anti-HCV screening, HCV RNA detection is necessary for the diagnosis of HCV infection in hemodialysis patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Virologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, 74605-050 Goiânia, GO, Brasil.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Teles
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Vanderborght
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral