%0 Journal Article
%T Hepatitis Viruses in Heamodialysis Patients: An Added Insult to Injury?
%A Kranthi Kosaraju
%A Sameer Singh Faujdar
%A Aashima Singh
%A Ravindra Prabhu
%J Hepatitis Research and Treatment
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/860514
%X Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are the most important causes of chronic liver disease in patients with end stage renal disease on hemodialysis. The prevalence of hepatitis infection among hemodialysis patients is high and varies between countries and between dialysis units within a single country. This case-control study was undertaken to estimate the occurrence of HBV and HCV infections in patients undergoing hemodialysis in our tertiary care center. All patients receving hemodialysis at our centre with HCV or HBV infection were included in the study. The total number of patients admitted for hemodialysis during the study period was 1710. Among these, 26 patients were positive for HBV, 19 were positive for HCV, and 2 were positive for both HCV and HBV. Mean age of the infected cases in our study was 48.63 years. Mean duration of dialysis for infected cases was 4.8 years while that of the noninfected controls was 3.18 years. The mean dialysis interval was twice a week. Interventions to reduce the occurrence of these infections are of utmost need to reduce the risk of long-term complications among hemodialysis patients. 1. Introduction Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections cause morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis patients. Prolonged vascular exposure and multiple blood transfusions increase the risk of acquiring these blood-borne infections in these patients. Contaminated devices, equipments, and supplies, environmental surfaces, and attending personnel may also play a crucial role in the nosocomial transmission of these infections. Infections with hepatitis viruses in haemodialysis patients are further promoted by the significant immune status dysfunction developing due to irreversible renal compromise [1¨C3]. Furthermore, hepatitis viral infections in haemodialysis patients cause liver disease in renal failure patients undergoing replacement therapy. They also pose a significant problem in the management of these cases as patients with renal failure cannot clear the viruses effectively. Patients with coinfections with these viruses develop severe clinical presentations and resistance to interferon treatment [3]. There are very limited data available on the occurrence of such infections in haemodialysis patients from this part of the country. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of HBV and HCV infections in haemodialysis patients and the risk factors associated with such infections. 2. Materials and Methods This study was conducted as a retrospective case-control study involving the
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/heprt/2013/860514/