Evaluating the Prevalence of HIV, HCV, and HBV Among Hemodialysis Patients Attending Tertiary Care Hospital in North Karnataka

Abstract

Introduction: Blood-borne viral infections are a major public health problem, especially in high-risk patients including those with renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. High prevalence of these infections in hemodialysis patients reflects the increased presence of common risk factors like high number of blood transfusions, prolonged vascular access, high exposure to infected patients and contaminated equipment and cross contamination from circuits.Objective:The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of HIV, HBV, and HCV in patients on hemodialysis attending Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi.Methods:This is a one year retrospective study from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020.The patients’ demographic characteristics, including age, gender, duration of dialysis and frequency of blood transfusion were recorded. Serological markers were determined by ELISA method. The prevalence of each virus was also determined. Results:All were patients with Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD) on hemodialysis. There were total of 77 cases, comprising of 67 (87%) males and 20 (23%) females. Out of total 77 cases, 16 (20.7%) cases were seropositive; 13 patients were reactive for HBV, 1 patient was reactive for HCV, 1 patient was reactive for HIV and one patient had co-infection for HBV and HCV. Significant correlation was found between the cases and positivity. Conclusion:This study brings to light that viral infections, though less common, continue to remain as important causes of infection in hemodialysis patients. Vaccination is recommended for pre-end-stage renal disease patients before they become dialysis dependent. Since blood transfusion remains an important risk factor for transmission of viral infection, screening of blood products by Real-Time PCR may be recommended to prevent transmission.