ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The infection with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate CMV serostatus in renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: The study included a total of 134 cases (55 females and 79 males) with an age range of 35 - 68 years (mean age 37.43 ± 13.42 years). HCMV-IgG and IgM were determined in subjects' sera. RESULTS: Eighty-seven out of 134 (65%) were undergoing hemodialysis, while 47 (35%) had normal kidney functions without HCV infection. Sixty-eight (78.2%) and 31 (35.6%) cases out 87 hemodialysis patients were positive for CMV-IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. No significant differences were noted between females and males in terms of seroprevalence rates. High rate of positive CMV-IgG was observed among hemodialysis patients who were 48 - 64 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that seroprevalence of CMV antibodies among hemodialysis cases is high and causes complications for these patients.