Prevalence of hepatitis C antibodies among hemodialysis patients in Al-hasa region of saudi arabia.
The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among hemodialysis (HD) patients was studied at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. The records of 189 patients undergoing HD were reviewed. The overall prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies was 43.9%. Anti-HCV antibody prevalence was more common among female patients. There was no correlation between repeated blood transfusions and anti-HCV positivity as 4.8% of the patients who did not receive any blood transfusion during HD were positive for anti-HCV antibodies. A positive correlation was observed between the duration on dialysis and anti-HCV antibodies. An annual serocoversion rate of 6.8% was observed in this study.
Saxena
A K
AK
Post-Graduate Department of Medicine, King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia.
Panhotra
B R
BR
Naguib
M
M
Aboras
M N
MN
Sundaram
D S
DS
Venkateshappa
C K
CK
Khan
W U
WU