Investigation of Hepatitis C virus infections by serological and molecular methods in hemodialysis patients in Kirkuk city-Iraq

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) causes the development of both acute and chronic liver disease and increases the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma at significant levels. Epidemiological data show that more than 170 million people are infected with HCV. On the other hand, it is considered that approximately one million people die on an annual scale because of cirrhosis and/or liver cancer after HCV infection. Also, it is observed that the population in which HCV infection is most common is hemodialysis patients. In this context, studies on HCV infection in hemodialysis patients are important. In the present study, the purpose was to determine possible risk factors by determining the frequency of Hepatitis C in patients who are treated in the hemodialysis unit in Kirkuk, Iraq with serological and molecular methods. When the presence of Anti-HCV antibodies was investigated in 200 cases from the Study Group and 50 cases from the Control Group with ELISA, Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 36 cases in the Study Group, and no one was infected in the Control Group. HCV RNA was found to be positive in 30 of the 36 patients with positive anti-HCV in the Study Group. The presence of HCV RNA was not detected in the patients in the Study Group who did not have anti-HCV antibodies. It was found that the highest rate of HCV infection was in the 65-74 age group, and the rate of infection increased in patients who had been on dialysis for more than three years. Statistically significant differences were detected between hemodialysis patients who had undergone any previous surgery and those who had not undergone any surgery. When the study and control group cases were examined in terms of serum ALT, AST, ALP, TSB, and IL-6 levels, it was determined that ALT, AST, ALP, and IL-6 levels were statistically significant between the groups. As a result, we believe that periodic studies will be useful in controlling the prevalence of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients and to uncover this relationship more clearly.