Point prevalence of hepatitis C antibodies among hemodialysis patients at king Hussein medical center

ABSTRACT

To determine the prevalence of hepatitis C antibodies among chronic renal failure patients attending the hemodialysis unit at King Hussein Medical Center, Amman-Jordan. All patients currently attending King Hussein Medical Center for hemodialysis were screened for hepatitis C antibodies using second generation ELISA. The number of patients was 209[130 males [62.2%], 79 females [37.8%]], mean age was 50 years [range 20-75years] One hundred and four tested patients, [57 males [43.8%] and 47 females [59.5%] revealed positive results [p<0.005], giving a total prevalence of 49.8%. The prevalence of HCV antibodies among hemodialysis patients at King Hussein Medical Center was 49.8%. This percentage is higher than Western countries but comparable to some neighboring Arab countries