BURDEN OF HEPATITIS B AND HEPATITIS C VIRUS IN HAEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Backgrounds: Hepatitis B and C viral infection is a common issue worldwide and can cause hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic liver disorders and liver cirrhosis. Patients on haemodialysis are at high risk for hepatitis B and C viral infection due to manifold transfusions, renal transplant and incessant use of dialysis material. Objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in patients on haemodialysis. Methods:This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar, Pakistan on kidney failure patients from January to May 2017. Two hundred and sixty two [262] patients were randomly selected and blood samples were taken before dialysis, screened for anti-HCV and hepatitis B surface antigen using ICT method, and all infected cases were confirmed by ELISA [generation 4]. Analysis of data was performed using SPSS version 22 software. Results: In the present study 262 haemodialysis patients were screened for both HCV and HBsAg in which 151 [57.63%] were male and 111 [42.36%] were female patients. Mean age of the patient was 42.51 +/- 14.69 years [15-67 years]. Out of total patients, 62 patients were infected with hepatitis B and C viral infection in which 47 [17.93%] were found positive for hepatitis C including 28 male and 19 female, whereas 15 [5.12%] were positive for hepatitis B including 7 male and 8 female. The highest prevalence was examined among 40-60 years [42.94%] of age group. Conclusion: The current study reveals that patients of haemodialysis are more prone to hepatitis B and C infection. It is further known that vulnerability for HCV is more [17.93%] than HBsAg [5.12%] in such patients.