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Occult Hepatitis C Infection Among Hemodialysis Patients: A Prevalence Study

Reza Naghdi1, Mitra Ranjbar2, Farah Bokharaei-Salim3

  • 1Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Annals of Hepatology
|June 15, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Occult hepatitis C infection (OHCI) is a risk for Iranian hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study found 3.03% of HD patients had OHCI, highlighting the need for sensitive diagnostic methods like PBMC testing.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Nephrology

Background:

  • Occult hepatitis C infection (OHCI) is defined by Hepatitis C Virus RNA (HCV-RNA) presence in liver or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) despite negative serology.
  • Chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients are a high-risk population for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of OHCI in Iranian patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis.
  • To assess the utility of PBMC testing for diagnosing OHCI in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 200 chronic HD patients with negative HCV antibody.
  • HCV RNA detection using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in both serum and PBMCs.

Main Results:

  • 2 patients (1%) were diagnosed with manifest hepatitis C infection (MHCI) based on positive serum HCV RNA.
  • 6 patients (3.03%) tested positive for HCV RNA in PBMCs, indicating OHCI.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic HD patients are susceptible to OHCI, not just manifest HCV infection.
  • PBMC analysis for HCV RNA is a sensitive method for detecting OHCI in HD patients.
  • Routine screening for OHCI may be warranted in high-risk HD populations.
Abstract

Keywords:
ESRDHepatitis C virusKidney transplantLiver diseasePeripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC)

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