Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis E Virus in Hemodialysis Patients in Gorgan-Iran

Background and Objective: Hepatitis E virus is one of the most common causesof acute infection in adults. Pregnant and transplant patients are more in risk ofHEV infection. Fecal-oral is the main route of HEV transmission but recentlytransmission by blood transfusion has been observed. This study was aimed todetermine the prevalence of HEV-Ab in hemodialysis patients in Gorgan, Iran.Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, we investigated150 hemodialysis patients of Panje Azar hospital in Gorgan. These patients wereevaluated for the presence of HEV total Ab by ELISA method.Results: Of 150, 6 patients (4%) are positive for HEV-Ab. There has been nosignificant relation between anti HEV Ab and variables such as age, gender,ethnicity, duration and number of hemodialysis in a week and (P>0.05).Conclusion: This study, which is the first report from this area, show that thelower prevalence of anti HEV Ab in hemodialysis patients in comparison withpregnant and childbearing age women.Keywords: Hepatitis E; Hemodialysis; Elisa; Gorgan