Detection of antibodies to HCV in haemodialysis patients using two second generation ELISA tests

Ortho HCV Elisa Test System 2nd Generation and Abbott HCV EIA 2nd Generation tests were used in 293 sera collected from dialysis patients in order to determine the prevalence of anti-HCV in this risk group and the sensitivity of the two tests. The agreement between the two tests employed was 98.3%. All reactive sera were confirmed using Ortho Riba and Abbott Supplemental tests. 91.9% sera were confirmed positive by Ortho RIBA and 100% by Abbott Supplemental test. The anti-HCV prevalence in haemodialysis patients increased with age, duration of dialysis treatment and number of transfusions. Our study confirms the higher prevalence of anti-HCV in haemodialysis patients using 2nd generation tests and their specificity.