Hariharan Munganda
Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Title: A prospective observational study on prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and its risk factors in chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis at a tertiary care center in Delhi NCR, India
Biography
Biography: Hariharan Munganda
Abstract
Introduction: Chronic renal disease patients on hemodialysis are at increased risk of infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Subjects undergoing treatment in dialysis centers without nephrologists and improper viral marker screening, dialysis at more than one center and no separate dialysis machine for HCV+ve patients and unscreened blood transfusion are at risk of cross contamination. Thus, there is a need to screen these subjects for prevalence of HCV seropositivity and study the impact of HCV positivity on clinical course of the disease.
Aim: Aim of or study was to assess prevalence of HCV positivity in CKD on hemodialysis subjects; and also to assess various characteristics of HCV positive subjects and compare them with HCV negative CKD subjects.
Methodology: In our Asian tertiary care hospital, dialysis unit a total of 100 CKD subjects were recruited for the study and after informed written consent, further detailed history, socioeconomic and clinical parameters including dialysis related parameters were analyzed and compared between the Hepatitis C seropositive and seronegative subjects. Hepatitis C positivity was assessed using chemiluminescence.
Result: Prevalence of seropositivity was found to be 16% in CKD subjects. Only 2% of the subjects have acquired HCV from our hospital while 14% have acquired HCV infection from other sources.
Conclusion: High prevalence of HCV infection exists in CKD subjects. Facilities for separate dialyzer under expert supervision from nephrologists are strictly recommended to contain the HCV infection.