The Prevalence of HIV, HCV, and HBV Among Hemodialysis Patients Attending Duhok Hemodialysis Center

Blood-borne viral infection is a public health problem, especially in high-risk patients, including those with renal failure.
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
In this study, 94 patients were recruited and examined for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV antibodies (HCVAb), and HIV using ELISA assay. HCV positivity was confirmed via real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The patients were followed-up by testing their blood samples for HBsAg, HCVAb, and HIV on a monthly basis.
At the beginning of the study, 3 out of 94 (3.2%) patients were HBsAg positive. In addition, 4 out of 94 (4.3%) patients were HCVAb positive; HCV-positive patients were confirmed via RT-PCR. In addition, three new samples (2 males and 1 female) became HCVAb positive during the follow up. New cases of infection might be associated with exposure to inadequately sterilized dialysis. All the recruited patients were negative for HIV throughout the study.
The prevalence of HBsAg and HCV positivity in subjects undergoing hemodialysis was comparable to most neighboring countries. Strict infection control measures should be taken to prevent infection transmission.