Prevalence of hepatitis C in patients on maintenance haemodialysis

ABSTRACT

To find the prevalence of Hepatitis C in patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Design: A case control study. Place and Duration of Study Haemodialysis unit at Sheikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan in December 1999. Patients and Fifty patients who were on maintenance haemodialysis were screened for anti HCV antibody. Fifty normal individuals who did not have any identifiable risk factors were also screened for anti HCV antibody. The relative risk and prevalence was calculated for the patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Sixty-eight% of the patients on maintenance haemodialysis were found to be positive for anti HCV antibody. Prevalence in normal individuals was 10% and relative risk for the patients on maintenance haemodialysis was 6.8. Hepatitis-C is endemic among patients on maintenance haemodialysis and prevalence is much higher in developing countries as compared to developed world