[Anti-HCV antibodies in chronically dialyzed uremic patients. 1-year follow-up study]

The sera of 109 patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis treatment were reexamined after one year in order to assess changes in the anti-HVC antibody pattern in the intervening period, June 1992-June 1993. Using the ELISA II generation test, positive cases were found to have risen from 57 to 63 (from 52.3% to 57.8%); the Riba II test showed 60 positive cases (previously 52) with 3 undetermined (previously 5). The incidence of biochemical indicators of necrosis and/or cholestasis, negative in HCV patients, also presents a particular positivity (44%) in the presence of four antibody fractions. These data confirm the importance of serial determinations in anti-HCV antibody time, even if they do not correlate directly with the presence of the virus in the circulation and hence with its infecting capacity, the marker for which should be sought in the polymerase chain reaction.