%0 Journal Article
%T Prevalence of HCV Infections Among Hemodialysis Patients in Al Gharbiyah Governorate, Egypt
%A SA Khodir
%A M Alghateb
%A KM Okasha
%A SE-S Shalaby
%J Arab Journal of Nephrology and Transplantation
%D 2012
%I 
%X Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant problem for patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) treatment. This medical problem has never been studied in Al Gharbiyah Governorate; this study was conducted aiming to estimate the prevalence of anti-HCV positive patients and the incidence of seroconversion in its different HD units. Methods: All 2351 patients maintained on HD in the eight towns of Al Gharbiyah Governorate were interviewed and their anti-HCV status was tested by a third-generation enzyme immunoassay. Patients who tested negative for anti-HCV at the start of the study were re-assessed monthly for HCV seroconversion and at the end of the study all patients were screened for HCV antibodies. Results: At the start of our study in March 2011, we found that 824 out of 2351 patients (35%) were anti-HCV reactive. At the end of study in November 2011, we found that HCV seroconversion occurred in 168 out of 1527 patients (11%) who were HCV free at the start of the study. By the end of the study, a total of 42.2% were found to be anti-HCV reactive. Conclusion: The study demonstrated high prevalence of anti-HCV in HD units in Al Gharbiyah Governorate. Similar studies must be conducted in all Egyptian governorates¡¯ HD units to evaluate this major health problem all over Egypt. We also encourage strict application of preventive strategies for HCV infection in all health institutes, especially HD units.
%U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajnt/article/view/81809