Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients in Maracaibo, Venezuela

Authors

  • Francisca Monsalve-Castillo Universidad del Zulia; Facultad de Medicina; Escuela de Bioanálisis
  • Liliana Gómez-Gamboa Universidad del Zulia; Facultad de Medicina; Escuela de Medicina
  • Leonor Chacín-Bonilla Universidad del Zulia; Facultad de Medicina
  • Leticia Porto-Espinoza Universidad del Zulia; Facultad de Medicina; Laboratorio de Referencia Virológica
  • Luciana Costa-León Universidad del Zulia; Facultad de Medicina; Escuela de Bioanálisis

Keywords:

Hepatitis C, Incidence, Hemodialysis

Abstract

Over a two year period, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was evaluated in 29 hemodialysis patients, aged between 15 and 75 years (mean ± SD: 45 ± 39.5 years), from the University Hospital Hemodyalisis Unit, Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela. Anti-HCV antibodies were determined using a fourth generation ELISA (Innotest HCV Ab IV) kit and positive blood samples were tested using a recombinant assay kit (Inno-LIA HCV Ab III), both kits from Innogenetics N.V., Belgium. The findings indicate a lack of HCV seroconversion in the hemodialysis patients over the study period, confirmed by the recombinant assay. Risk factors for HCV infection were 0.3270 (95% confidence interval: 0.01323-8.080) in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The findings suggest a lack of significant sources for HCV infection due to the preventive measures to avoid its transmission in the hemodialysis unit.

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Published

2012-02-01

Issue

Section

Brief Communication

How to Cite

Monsalve-Castillo, F., Gómez-Gamboa, L., Chacín-Bonilla, L., Porto-Espinoza, L., & Costa-León, L. (2012). Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients in Maracaibo, Venezuela . Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo, 54(1), 53-55. https://revistas.usp.br/rimtsp/article/view/31448