CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF HCV RNA DETECTIO N AND QUANTITATION IN HEMODIALYSIS-PATIENTS - PROPOSAL FOR A RATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGY

Viral infections due to hepatitis C virus in hemodialysis patients are frequent and have a potential risk of progression towards chronicity. Biochemical and viral markers of infection, are transaminases level, anti-HCV serology and the detection of HCV RNA, respectively. A ration al strategy based on routine use of these three diagnostic tools is pr oposed in order to avoid unnecessary assays and to increase in the cas e of health cost control, the cost/efficacy ratio. The latter is set u p, in the seronegative hemodialysed, on the early detection of infecti on by the hepatitis C virus in order to consider of a therapeutic whic h is able to cure patients and to avoid the ineluctable passage toward s chronicity, in hemodialysed with positive HCV serology, the detectio n of HCV RNA allows to establish the infectiosity status of these hemo dialysis patients. It is therefore very important to evaluate prospect ively this diagnosis appro-ach in hemodialysis patients.