SCREENING OF RELATIVES OF ANTI-HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-POSITIVE HEMODIALYZED PATIENTS (PRELIMINARY DATA)

The occurrence of antibodies to hepatitis-C virus (HCV) was investigat ed (ELISA 2: 4-RIBA) in hemodialysed patients, and in positive cases t he analyses were extended to their partners and relatives, too. We scr eened 70 patients, (mean age 62.4 years, age-range 19-88 years) with a n average period of dialyses of 45.2 months (range 3-120 months). Of t he study population, 16 subjects (22.8 %) were anti-HCV positive, half of them received blood transfusion in the past. The occurrence of ant i-HCV was explored by using the same method in 10 of their sexual part ners and 40 relatives (parents, siblings, children): none of them prov ed to be positive. The data obtained indicate that the ways of transmi ssion of HCV infection differ from those known for hepatitis B virus ( HBV).