Open AccessThe prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in anti-HCV antibodies-negative hemodialysis patients in Thrace Region. Multicentral study
Author(s) -
Eleni Konstantinidou,
Eftychia Kontekaki,
Aristidis Kefas,
Theocharis Konstantinidis,
Gioulia Romanidou,
Eleni Fotiadou,
Viki Rekari,
Eleni Triantafyllidou,
Stavroula Zisaki,
Evi Kasmeridou,
Mariana Andreadou,
Konstantina Kantartzi,
Konstantinos Mavromatidis,
George Martinis,
Dimitrios Cassimos,
Elias Thodis,
Maria Panopoulou,
Konstantinos Mimidis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
germs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 12
ISSN - 2248-2997
DOI - 10.18683/germs.2021.1240
Subject(s) - medicine , hemodialysis , antibody , hepatitis c virus , virology , hepatitis c , immunoassay , incidence (geometry) , gold standard (test) , immunology , gastroenterology , virus , physics , optics
HCV infection in patients under hemodialysis for end stage chronic kidney disease (ESCKD) may exist despite the absence of anti-HCV antibodies. Molecular methods are widely accepted as "gold standard" techniques for the detection of viral RNA. However, the molecular methods are more expensive in comparison to conventional methods and their replacement is not cost-effective. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in anti-HCV negative hemodialysis patients and evaluate new diagnostic methods for the detection and the monitoring of hepatitis C in ESCKD patients.