title: Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and evaluation of serum aminotransferase levels among haemodialysis patients in Izmir, Turkey.
abstract: The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was investigated among haemodialysis (HD) patients. Mean serum aminotransferase levels were also compared over 3 months in HCV-seropositive patients with and without viraemia, as well as in HCV-seronegative HD patients and HCV-seropositive, non-uraemic, viraemic patients. Seroprevalence of HCV infection was 19% among the 437 HD patients tested. Of the 61 HD HCV-seropositive, hepatotoxic medication- and alcohol-free patients, 38 (62%) were found to be viraemic, using quantitative HCV-RNA, on at least one occasion. Mean serum aminotransferase levels were significantly higher in viraemic HD patients (compared with non-viraemic patients), suggesting that HCV-RNA positivity is an important predictor of increased enzyme activity in these patients. As expected, aminotransferase levels in HCV-seropositive HD patients tended to be lower than levels in HCV-seropositive non-uraemic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Tepecik SSK Training Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. aliolut@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Olut
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ozsakarya
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dilek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D000637:Transaminases; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase