Related Experiment Videos
Hepatitis C in chronic renal failure patients
A Mitwalli1, S al-Mohaya, J al Wakeel
1Division of Nephrology, Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Chronic renal failure (CRF) patients, especially those on chronic hemodialysis, have a significantly higher risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Longer dialysis duration and elevated liver enzymes correlate with HCV seroconversion in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Hepatology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a serious condition requiring renal replacement therapy.
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a significant health concern, particularly in vulnerable patient populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of HCV infection among patients with chronic renal failure (CRF).
- To determine the correlation between HCV seroconversion, dialysis modality, duration of dialysis, and liver enzyme levels in CRF patients.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study was conducted over one year involving 71 CRF patients (including chronic hemodialysis, acute hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and non-dialysis patients).
- Patients were screened for HCV antibodies before and after hemodialysis.
- Liver enzyme levels (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase) were measured at baseline and post-dialysis.
Main Results:
- Overall, 15.5% of the 71 CRF patients were HCV antibody positive.
- Among chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients, 30.7% tested positive for HCV.
- A statistically significant relationship was found between HCV seroconversion and duration of dialysis (p < 0.05).
- A highly significant correlation (p < 0.0001) existed between HCV antibodies and CRF, with a 22-fold increased relative risk for CRF patients.
- HCV seroconverters frequently exhibited elevated liver enzymes.
Conclusions:
- CRF is a major risk factor for HCV infection.
- There is a positive correlation between HCV seroconversion, CRF, duration on dialysis, and elevated serum liver enzymes.
- These findings highlight the importance of vigilant screening and infection control measures for HCV in CRF patients.
Abstract:
The occurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection amongst chronic renal failure (CRF) patients in our Nephrology Unit was investigated over a period of 1 year. A total of 71 patients was studied comprising 26 chronic haemodialysis (CHD) patients, 6 acute haemodialysis patients, 4 peritoneal dialysis patients and 35 CRF patients not on dialysis. Patients were screened before and after haemodialysis, and their baseline and postdialysis values of liver enzymes were determined. Eleven (15.5%) of the total 71 patients were HCV antibody positive. Analysis of the individual patient groups showed that 8 (30.7%) of the 26 CHD patients were positive for HCV. Our data showed a statistically significant relationship between seroconversion and duration of dialysis (p < 0.05). A high statistically significant (p < 0.0001) correlation was observed between the HCV antibodies and CRF. The relative risk of hepatitis C was about 22 times greater for those with CRF compared with the normal controls, which makes CRF an important risk factor. A high proportion of the HCV seroconverters had elevated liver enzyme (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase). The data presented show a positive correlation between HCV seroconversion, CRF, duration on dialysis and elevated serum liver enzymes.