Authors : Atieh Makhlough , Mohammadreza Mahdavi , Mohamadreza Haghshenas , Roya Ghasemian and Mozhan Jamshidi
Abstract: Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are known to have an elevated risk of acquiring Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. The reported prevalence among hemodialysis patients in the United States ranges from 8-10% and is considerably higher in many European and Middle Eastern countries. Therefore, a reliable diagnosis of HCV infection is essential in order to prevent the spread of the disease in dialysis units. All hemodialysis patients (n = 186) were interviewed in 2 dialysis units in Imam Khomeini and Fatemeh Zahra hospitals of Sari and Valiasr hospital of Ghaemshahr city / Iran, Between June and august 2006.. Blood samples were collected and serum samples screened for anti-HCV antibodies by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Positive samples were retested for confirmation with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).Statistical analysis was done by means of SPSS (11) software. A total of 186 hemodialysis patients (mean age 58.86±16.9 years) were studied. Mean duration of hemodialysis was 3.07±0.3 years. Mean of SGOT and SGPT were 30.64±6 and 32.01±8, respectively. 39 (21%) patients were found to be seropositive by ELISA and 12 were confirmed positive by PCR, resulting in an anti-HCV prevalence of 6.5%. association between duration of hemodialysis andHCV seropositivity was statistically significant (p = 0.0001) but there were no significant correlation between number of transfusions and HCV seropositivity. Despite the growing demand for cost-effectiveness in the health system, tight control of HCV infection by PCR and ELISA examination must remain an essential part of the routine screening in hemodialysis patients.
Atieh Makhlough , Mohammadreza Mahdavi , Mohamadreza Haghshenas , Roya Ghasemian and Mozhan Jamshidi , 2008. Hepatitis C Prevalence in Hemodialysis Patients in Mazandaran, Iran: A Survey by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Serological Methods . Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 3: 265-268.