The prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in anti-HCV antibodies-negative hemodialysis patients in Thrace Region. Multicentral study

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 expens...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Germs (Bucureşti) 2021-03, Vol.11 (1), p.52-58
Main Authors: Konstantinidou, Eleni I, Kontekaki, Eftychia G, Kefas, Aristidis, Konstantinidis, Theocharis, Romanidou, Gioulia, Fotiadou, Eleni, Rekari, Viki, Triantafyllidou, Eleni, Zisaki, Stavroula, Kasmeridou, Evi, Andreadou, Mariana, Kantartzi, Konstantina, Mavromatidis, Konstantinos, Martinis, George, Cassimos, Dimitrios, Thodis, Elias, Panopoulou, Maria, Mimidis, Konstantinos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Analysis
Antibodies
Antigens
Automation
Blood transfusions
Cardiovascular disease
Chronic kidney failure
Consent
Developing countries
Diabetes
Health aspects
Hemodialysis
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C virus
Hospitals
Industrialized nations
Infection
Infections
Kidney diseases
Laboratories
LDCs
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Original
Patients
Peritoneal dialysis
RNA
Viral antibodies
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Summary: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. The study was performed in four hospitals of Thrace region of Greece and 233 patients with no history of hepatitis C were enrolled. Measurement of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV core antigen was performed by microparticle chemiluminescence immunoassay. Molecular detection of viral RNA was performed by the real-time RT PCR. The mean age of the patients was 64.9 ± 23.3 years. HCV-Ag was positive in 2/233 patients (0.86%). Nevertheless, viral RNA was negative in those patients. The results of the present study showed that the incidence of HCV-RNA in patients with negative anti-HCV Abs, in hemodialysis patients in Thrace region of Greece was negligible (0/233).
ISSN:2248-2997
2248-2997
DOI:10.18683/germs.2021.1240