PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS-B AND HEPATITIS-C IN HEMODIALYSIS-PATIENTS

The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B exp osure and antibodies against the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was asse ssed in 86 haemodialysis patients at the National Kidney and Transplan t Institute (NKTI) using the commercial radioimmunoassay and ortho HCV ELISA assay. Of the 86 patients included in the study, 42 were male w ith a mean age of 44.9 years and a mean duration of dialysis of 2.4 ye ars. Forty-four were female with a mean age of 48.4 years and a mean d uration of dialysis of 2.3 years. Hepatitis B exposure was 57% and 12. 8% of haemodialysis patients were positive for HBsAg, whereas 39.8% of patients were positive for anti-HCV. There was a significant correlat ion (P=0.00007) between anti HCV positivity and the length of time on haemodialysis. However, there was no significant correlation found bet ween the number of blood transfusions received and anti-HCV positivity . There was also no significant correlation found between HBsAg and an tibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) positivity and the num ber of blood transfusions or the length of time on haemodialysis, nor between hepatitis B and C exposure and elevated aminotransferase level s.