Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients in Maracaibo, Venezuela
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.
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
2012
|
| Online Access: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652012000100010 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|