Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Hemodialysis Patients in Khartoum

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence, and the possible risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among hemodialysis patients in Khartoum State. Three hundred and eight (n=308) subjects were enrolled in a cross-sectional study and investigated during the period from January to April, 2010. The majority of the subjects examined were males (65.3 %). Most of the patients tested were within the age group 50-59 years. The specific anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 14.3 % of the population under study using the fourth generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Duration of dialysis was significantly associated with HCV seropositivity (P<0.05). Patients who had a longer duration (5 years or more) were 8-times at risk to get infection with HCV than those who had shorter duration. However, no other possible risk factor i.e., intravenous drug, previous surgery, dialysis in multiple centers, previous endoscopy, and catheterization were found to be in significant (P>0.05) to contract the disease. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the prevalence of HCV among married hemodialysis patients compared to single ones. In conclusion, this high prevalence of HCV among hemodialysis patients (14.3 %) should draw the attention of healthcare authorities to implement new methodologies and improve the infrastructure of the dialysis centers, which could help improve quality of life of dialysis patients in Sudan.