Journal article
Undiagnosed hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients: Value of HCV RNA and liver enzyme levels
Kidney international, v 50(6), pp 2027-2031
01 Dec 1996
PMID: 8943486
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Undiagnosed hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients: Value of HCV RNA and liver enzyme levels. At present, routine screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is based on the detection of antiviral antibodies. Underdiagnosis of HCV infection by using HCV antibody tests, however, still occurs. Additional diagnostic means are provided by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The measurement of aminotransferases (ASAT and ALAT) has served as an auxiliary, less specific test. The present research aimed to design practical and low cost strategies to diminish underdiagnosis of HCV infection in dialysis patients. With this purpose in mind, we examined whether aminotransferases values in HCV antibody-negative patients could be related to undiagnosed HCV infection, by using HCV RNA testing by PCR as the gold standard. In 112 hemodialysis patients, we found 78 negative and 34 positive for HCV antibodies. A major finding was that 22 (28.2%) out of the 78 HCV antibodies-negative patients had positive HCV RNA by PCR. In repeated samples taken at a six month follow-up from 19 out of these 22 patients, only one of them was positive for anti-HCV antibodies; moreover, a positive HCV RNA by PCR was confirmed in 13 (68.5%) of them. Within the HCV antibody-negative group, the mean values of ASAT, ALAT and gammaglutamiltransferase were higher (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.02, respectively) in the HCV PCR-positive versus the HCV PCR-negative patients. No significant differences were found in the liver enzyme values between the HCV antibody-negative, HCV RNA positive and the HCV antibody positive, HCV RNA positive individuals. Histological samples from two HCV RNA positive, HCV antibody-negative patients disclosed the presence of a mild liver disease. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the critical importance of HCV RNA determination by PCR in hemodialysis patients who have no detectable circulating antibodies against the HCV. Furthermore, in conditions in which PCR technology is not readily available, we have established that the existence of a moderate increase of aminotransferases is a helpful clue to detect patients with absent HCV antibodies, and might represent an useful, low cost tool for HCV screening in dialysis patients.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Undiagnosed hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients: Value of HCV RNA and liver enzyme levels
- Creators
- Carlos Caramelo - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazJavier Bartolomé - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazMarta Albalate - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazPatricia de Sequera - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazTeresa Bermejillo - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazHoracio Oliva - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazEduardo Marriott - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazAlberto Ortiz - Servicios de Nefrología and Anatomía Patológica and Unidad de Hepatología, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, SpainCarmen Ruiz Tuñón - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazSantos Casado - Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez DíazSonia Navas-Martin - Drexel University, Microbiology and ImmunologyVicente Carreño - Fundación para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales
- Publication Details
- Kidney international, v 50(6), pp 2027-2031
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 5
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:A1996VU76300024
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-10544227751
- Other Identifier
- 991022047819304721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Urology & Nephrology