Hepatitis C and G Virus Infection Prevalence Among Hemodialysis Patients and Associated Risk Factors in the Hormozgan Province of Southern Iran

BACKGROUND Infection with blood-borne viruses including hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis G (HGV) viruses is a substantial health problem. Varying prevalences of these infections in different studies reflect the role of predisposing risk factors in different countries or even different regions of a country. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present survey was to assess the prevalences of HCV and HGV virus infections among hemodialysis (HD) patients in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran, 2015. METHODS A total of 149 subjects with chronic renal failure undergoing HD at Shahid Mohammadi hospital in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2015 were evaluated for anti-HCV and antibodies against HGV E2 glycoprotein by census sampling method. Thereafter, all of the specimens were evaluated for molecular assays using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other techniques. Investigated data were recorded for each participant in a pre-designed data collection sheet. All statistical analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 for Windows by t-test and chi-square test (χ2). RESULTS The mean age of patients was 56.23 ± 12.35 years (minimum age 18, maximum age 85). Both kinds of assays determined that five (3.36%) patients were HCV positive, whereas no HGV positives were diagnosed. The prevalence of HCV is associated with longer duration of HD (P value = 0.008), history of blood transfusion (P value = 0.037) and drug addiction (P value = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS History of drug addiction and/or blood transfusion and longer duration of HD treatment were the main risk factors determining the prevalence of HCV infection in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran in 2015. However, the values observed in the present investigation reflect the effective management techniques imposed by healthcare authorities and relevant organizations in recent years.