title: Prevalence of hepatitis C in patients on maintenance haemodialysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find the prevalence of hepatitis C in patients on maintenance haemodialysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Haemodialysis unit at Sheikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan in December 1999.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients who were on maintenance haemodialysis were screened for anti HCV antibody. Fifty normal individuals who did not have any identifiable risk factors were also screened for anti HCV antibody. The relative risk and prevalence was calculated for the patients on maintenance haemodialysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-eight percent of the patients on maintenance haemodialysis were found to be positive for anti HCV antibody. Prevalence in normal individuals was 10 percent and relative risk for the patients on maintenance haemodialysis was 6.8.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatitis-C is endemic among patients on maintenance haemodialysis and prevalence is much higher in developing countries as compared to developed world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Sheikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore.
authors.forename: Ambreen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Farrukh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iqbal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012307:Risk Factors