INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF HEMOTRANSFUSION FACTOR IN THE EPIDEMIC PROCESS OF HEPATITIS-C IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC-HEMODIALYSIS WARDS USING AN IMITATION COMPUTER-MODEL

Examinations for the presence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) w ere carried out in 144 patients of chronic hemodialysis wards and 83 b lood donors. The anti-HCV were found in 26.4 % of the patients and onl y in 1.2 % of the blood donors. A definite increase in the incidence o f HCV infection in the patients of hemodialysis wards was established in relation to the duration of the treatment, namely from 17.4 % in th e patients treated for up to 1 year to 37.5 % in those treated for 6 y ears or more. Significant differences were observed in the rate of ant i-HCV findings in the patients with kidney transplantation and in thos e who had not experience this operation. The results obtained by an im itation computer model indicated that the hemotransfusion factor is no t the only one determining the high rate of HCV infection in patients of chronic hemodialysis wards, however its influence on the intensity of the epidemic process in hepatitis C in these wards was sufficiently high.