HEPATITIS C VIRUS ANTIBODIES AMONG HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS IN MAKKAH CITY, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the world and evaluation of theepidemiology of HCV infection was made possible by the development of a serological assay to detect antibodies to epitopes of HCV.Hemodialysis (HD) is considered to be one of the main risk factors of HCV transmission. The prevalence of antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) inpatients undergoing maintenance dialysis therapy (MDT) was found to be one of the highest among different risk groups and there is wide variationin the prevalence of HCV infection among different dialysis units and countries. Therefore, the prevalence of anti-HCV was studied in patientsundergoing MDT.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current study is a cross section one, where a sample of 361 HD patients were selected randomly from HDcenters in three governmental hospitals in Makkah city and they were subjected to assessment for the prevalence of anti-HCV by usingquestionnaires in addition to clinical measurements.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of anti-HCVamong HD patients was 49.9% according to clinical measurements and questionnairesCONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of anti-HCV among HD patients in Makkah city (49.9%) was comparable to that reported from otherparts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and it is almost similar to the already reported positivity rate of (43.2%) from the eastern region ofKSA [1] and southern regions of KSA (45.5%). [2, 3] However, Strict adherence to universal precautions as recommended by the Center forDiseases Control (CDC), meticulous regular disinfection of HD machines, Strict isolation of HCV-positive patients, dedicated dialysis machinesand nursing staff at new dialysis set-up could possibly be the reasons of relatively low anti-HCV positivity at the current study than that reported byShaheen, et al [3, 4] , from four centers in the western region of KSA, (72.3%) and that by Huraib, et al [5] [6] in their multi-center study in KSA,(68%) as well as the mean national rate.[3, 7] On the other hand, the use of more sensitive third generation enzyme - linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) technique, long duration on HD, multiple blood transfusions, patients with dialysis treatment in multi-centers, factors related toinfrastructure, environment and operational system might be responsible for the high prevalence of anti-HCV found in this study than that reportedearlier by Saeed, et al [8] from Riyadh and those observed in the central region of KSA.[9]Although routes of transmission are still unclear, earlydetection of all infected patients is mandatory for HCV prophylaxis in HD patients. Furthermore, an intensive educational program for staffmembers, HD patients and proper evaluation of the HD situation are needed. Thus, observation of appropriate preventive measures by all HDcenters is paramount