Diagnosis and evaluation of hepatitis C virus among haemodialysis patients

Hepatitis C is a health problem worldwide. The World Health Organizion world's population is infected with hepatitis C virus [HCV]. In haemodialysis patients, the prevalence reaches 80% in some countries. In Morocco/ HCV prevalence is 32% according to the Moroccan register of dialysis. The natural history of hepatitis C infection in chronic haemodialysis patients is characterized by a silent evolution. There are different methods to diagnose HCV and they are becoming increasingly sensitive. There are indirect tests for antibodies to HCV: these are reproducible but false negatives are common and there is direct testing of viral RNA: this is more sensitive but not always available and Is more expensive. The use of these tests has been categorized through new recommendations from learned societies. However, the evaluation of liver disease is still controversial and liver biopsy remains the gold standard. This paper reviews the approaches for diagnosing and evaluating hepatitis C in haemodialysis patients

Non-diabetic renal disease in type II diabetes mellitus patients in Mohammed V military hospital, Rabat, Morocco

The distinction between diabetic nephropathy lesions and non-diabetic renal lesions is not always obvious and is often based on renal biopsy. This study evaluated the prevalence and predictors of nondiabetic renal disease in people with type 2 diabetes. The study was conducted between January 2008 and October 2010 in the nephrology department of the military hospital in Rabat. The study included 16 patients with type 2 diabetes in whom renal biopsy was indicated. Non-diabetic renal disease was found in 6 of the patients [37.5%]; IgA nephropathy was the most frequent non-diabetic renal disease [half of non-diabetic renal diseases]. Hypertension was significantly less frequent in the non-diabetic renal disease group than the diabetic nephropathy group [16.7% versus 80.0%, P = 0024], duration of diabetes was a shorter [4.5 versus 15.5 years, P = 0.022] and diabetic retinopathy was absent [100% versus 40%, P = 0.026]. There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in relation to age, sex, creatinine level, 24-hour proteinuria, nephritic syndrome and microscopic haematuria

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in chronic haemodialysis patients in Morocco

We determined the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in 25 chronic haemodialysis patients in the haemodialysis centre of the Mohammed V military teaching hospital in Rabat. The mean age of the patients was 46.5 [SD 14.8] years and mean haemodialysis duration 62.9 [SD 38.4] months. We evaluated the 5 parameters of metabolic syndrome: waist circumference, hypertriglyceridaemia, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose, In all, 11 [44%] patients had metabolic syndrome: 7 women and 4 men. Low HDL cholesterol was found in 100% of the patients, hypertriglyceridaemia in 90.9% and hypertension in 63.6%. There were significant differences between patients with and without metabolic syndrome with regard to levels of hypertriglyceridaemia and HDL cholesterol, and waist circumference. Factors significantly associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome were abdominal obesity, and systolic hypertension and hypertriglyceridaemia