Reza Naghdi1, Mitra Ranjbar2, Farah Bokharaei-Salim3, Hossein Keyvani3, Shokoufeh Savaj4, Shahrzad Ossareh5, Amir Shirali6, Amir Mohammad-Alizadeh7. 1. Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2. Department of Infectious Diseases, Firouzgar Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3. Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 4. Department of Nephrology, Firouzgar Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 5. Department of Nephrology, Hasheminejad Kidney Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 6. Shahid Modarres Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 7. Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Occult hepatitis C infection (OHCI) is the presence of HCV-RNA in the liver or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) accompanying with negative serologic results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of OHCI among Iranian chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross sectional study 200 chronic HD patients with negative HCV antibody enrolled the study. Blood sample of patients were obtained, followed by Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) testing for detection of HCV RNA. Patients with positive serum HCV RNA were considered as manifest hepatitis C infection (MHCI). However, patients with negative serum HCV RNA underwent further tests on PBMCs for detection of OHCI. RESULTS: Serum HCV RNA was positive in 2 (1%) patients whom considered as MHCI, and 6 (3.03%) patients had positive PBMC HCV RNA. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, chronic HD patients have been considered as a high risk group for hepatitis C infection. The results of this study suggest that these patients are also at risk for OHCI. Furthermore, evaluating PBMCs to detect HCV RNA would be a sensitive diagnostic method to find OHCI patients.
INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Occult hepatitis C infection (OHCI) is the presence of HCV-RNA in the liver or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) accompanying with negative serologic results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of OHCI among Iranian chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross sectional study 200 chronic HDpatients with negative HCV antibody enrolled the study. Blood sample of patients were obtained, followed by Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) testing for detection of HCV RNA. Patients with positive serum HCV RNA were considered as manifest hepatitis C infection (MHCI). However, patients with negative serum HCV RNA underwent further tests on PBMCs for detection of OHCI. RESULTS: Serum HCV RNA was positive in 2 (1%) patients whom considered as MHCI, and 6 (3.03%) patients had positive PBMC HCV RNA. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, chronic HDpatients have been considered as a high risk group for hepatitis C infection. The results of this study suggest that these patients are also at risk for OHCI. Furthermore, evaluating PBMCs to detect HCV RNA would be a sensitive diagnostic method to find OHCIpatients.
Authors: María de la Luz Martínez-Rodríguez; Luis A Uribe-Noguez; Carla I Arroyo-Anduiza; José Antonio Mata-Marin; Gamaliel Benitez-Arvizu; María L Portillo-López; Alicia Ocaña-Mondragón Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-10-19 Impact factor: 3.240