Antibodies against Hepatitis C Virus in Hemodialysis Patients in the Central Italian Region of Umbria: Evaluation of Some Risk Factors

Brugnano, Rachele; Francisci, Daniela; Quintaliani, Giuseppe; Gaburri, M; G, Nori; Verdura, Claudio; Giombini, Lucia; Buoncristiani, U

doi:10.1159/000186899

Cited by 26 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…[15] Several reports have suggested cross-infection of HCV in dialysis patients who shared dialysis machines in the HD unit. [1617] Use of dedicated machines along with strict enforcement of universal precautions is associated with a decrease in the incidence of seroconversion. [18] However, a multicenteric study where HCV positive and HCV negative patients were dialyzed on same machines reported no new cases of HCV transmission over a 54 month study period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and associations of hepatitis C viremia in hemodialysis patients at a tertiary care hospital

Jasuja¹,

Gupta²,

Choudhry³

et al. 2009

Indian J Nephrol

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hemodialysis (HD) is a significant problem. We evaluated the prevalence and associations of HCV viremia in our HD patients. All patients undergoing maintenance HD at our center were tested for HCV RNA by PCR after written informed consent. Detailed history regarding age, sex, and duration of dialysis, frequency of dialysis, blood transfusions in one year, number of dialysis centers, dialyzer reuse/fresh use, and recent laboratory data was recorded. A total of 119 patients (77 males and 42 females) were tested for HCV RNA. Thirty three (27.7%) tested positive. Duration of dialysis was significantly longer in HCV RNA positive group (P = 0.001). 45.2% of patients with duration of dialysis more than 16 months were HCV RNA positive while only 7.4% of patients with dialysis duration ≤16 months were HCV RNA positive (P < 0.001). In univariate analysis, in HCV RNA group patients, ALT, AST, and GGTP were significantly elevated and albumin was significantly lower. 39% of patients who had dialysis at more than one center were HCV RNA positive as compared to 20% for patients undergoing dialysis at single center (P = 0.024). Binary logistic regression analysis showed albumin, duration of dialysis, and serum ALT to be significant variables. Sensitivity and specificity of anti-HCV ELISA was 72.7 and 97.7%, respectively. Prevalence of HCV RNA in the HD population is 27.7%. Duration of dialysis, getting dialysis at more than one center, elevated transaminase levels, and low serum albumin are important associations for HCV RNA positivity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and associations of hepatitis C viremia in hemodialysis patients at a tertiary care hospital

Jasuja¹,

Gupta²,

Choudhry³

et al. 2009

Indian J Nephrol

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“…The prevalence of anti-HCV among dialysis patients is frequently considerably higher than in the general population in the background area (38,(64)(65)(66)(67)(68)(69)(70)(71). This observation and the wide variations in the prevalence of anti-HCV among different HD centers suggest that transmission of HCV does occur in dialysis centers and is most likely related to some aspects of the dialytic process.…”

Section: Evidence Supporting the Utility Of Routine Serologic Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several factors have been considered responsible for HCV nosocomial transmission in HD units. These include breakdowns in standard infection control practices (58,65,(75)(76)(77), physical proximity to an HCV-infected patient (57,78), sharing of a dialysis machine with an anti-HCV-positive patient (68,79), and lack of isolation of anti-HCV-positive patients (75,80). The role of certain dialyzer membranes (81) and reprocessing of dialyzers (78) in the transmission of HCV has been suspected, but remains unconfirmed.…”

Section: Evidence Supporting the Utility Of Routine Serologic Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Routine Serologic Testing for Hepatitis C Virus Infection Should Be Instituted Among Dialysis Patients

Natov

Pereira

2000

Seminars in Dialysis

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Since the cloning of hepatitis C virus (HCV), a number of serologic and virologic tests for detecting infections with this virus have been made available for clinical practice. This led to the recognition of HCV as a major health hazard in hemodialysis (HD) centers. Yet the nephrology community has not been offered explicit recommendations about routine serologic testing for HCV of dialysis patients and consequently has remained unclear and divided about the utility of this testing. This review presents evidence in support of instituting routine serologic testing for HCV among dialysis patients. It concludes that because of the peculiar features of HCV infection in HD patients, serologic testing for HCV is the only means for unequivocal diagnosis of hepatitis C and an irreplaceable instrument for monitoring the incidence and the prevalence of the infection in this population. Serologic surveillance for HCV infection is crucial for identifying the association of new cases of HCV infection with potential risk factors for HCV transmission, particularly nosocomial, that can be modified in a way to prevent further dissemination of the virus. Data collected from routine serologic testing for HCV will undoubtedly improve our understanding of the epidemiology of HCV in the dialysis population and will provide a strong foundation for developing preventive measures and infection control strategies that are highly effective in controlling HCV infection. Routine serologic testing for HCV is also of direct benefit to the individual patient since establishing the HCV serologic status of each patient is important for optimizing patient care.

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“…Several risk factors are identified: the use of blood products and organs from unscreened donors, surgery and other invasive procedures, failure to strictly apply universal precautions in a dialysis environment (as supported by several pieces of evidence in different dialysis units [1, 2]. In 1992 [3], we reported our experience in the Italian region of Umbria suggesting the potential for cross-infection in the dialysis environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

HCV Infection:‘Six Years after’ in a Dialysis Unit

Brugnano

Gaburri

Francisci

et al. 1999

Nephron

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Antibodies against Hepatitis C Virus in Hemodialysis Patients in the Central Italian Region of Umbria: Evaluation of Some Risk Factors

Cited by 26 publications

References 3 publications

Prevalence and associations of hepatitis C viremia in hemodialysis patients at a tertiary care hospital

Prevalence and associations of hepatitis C viremia in hemodialysis patients at a tertiary care hospital

Routine Serologic Testing for Hepatitis C Virus Infection Should Be Instituted Among Dialysis Patients

HCV Infection:‘Six Years after’ in a Dialysis Unit

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