Elevated prevalence of hepatitis B in Mexican hemodialysis patients. A multicentric survey.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients on renal replacement has been reduced in developed countries, but information from developing nations is currently scarce and high prevalence rates are suspected. We undertook this study to analyze the prevalence of HBV infection and identify risk factors associated with it in a sample of Mexican hemodialysis patients.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was performed in patients on hemodialysis in Mexico. Adult patients from 10 hemodialysis centers were randomly selected. Patients answered a questionnaire for risk factors for HB infection and a blood sample was taken for HBsAg determination.


RESULTS
We included 368 patients, 197 (53.5%) male, with a median age of 52 years (range: 18-93 years). In 26 patients HBsAg was positive with a prevalence of 7.1% (95% CI 4.4-9.7). Hepatitis C (HCV) was also tested, and 31 patients were positive with a prevalence of 8.4% (95% CI 5.5-11.2). Two patients (0.5%) were co-infected. Patients infected with HBV had been on hemodialysis longer (median time 50.5 months in HB positive vs. 34 months in HB negative; p = 0.005) and had history of more transfusions (median number of transfusions 5.5 vs 2; p < 0.009) compared with patients without HBV infection.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of HBV infection in patients on maintenance hemodialysis in Mexico is about 7%, 35 times higher compared with the general population (0.2%).
Paniagua
Ramón
R
Unit of Medical Investigation in Kidney Diseases, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México.
Villasís-Keever
Angelina
A
Prado-Uribe
María Del Carmen
Mdel C
Ventura-García
María-de-Jesús
MD
Alcántara-Ortega
Guadalupe
G
Ponce de Leon
Samuel R
SR
Cure-Bolt
Nancy
N
Rangel-Frausto
Sigfrido
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D055815:Young Adult