Investigation of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in the blood of hemodialysis patients from Peshawar, Pakistan.

Abstract Aim: High prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Hepatitis B (HBV) has reported among dialysis patients throughout the world. The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of HCV and HBV both in Hemodialysis (HD) at District Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2018 to March 2019. The infections were investigated through serological and molecular techniques. The polymerase chain reaction was performed for only HCV RNA detection in HD patients. The data obtained were compared with available past studies from Pakistan.Results: To evaluate the frequency of HCV, HBV, and co-infection in HD patients. 200 blood samples were collected from dialysis patients who visited Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. Among 200, HCV infected were diagnosed in 22%, HBV in 8%. The percentages of male to female diagnosed patients with HCV were 21% and 20% respectively. Moreover, the chi-square test of association among variables based on our empirical findings, it is clear that odds of HCV positive among males is 3.467 times greater than female, with statistically significance (P= 0.012*) against 50 and above age group.. Conclusion: The percentage of HCV positive was found higher in the overall HD patient population. Only 7.5% of patients were found Negative of HBV and HCV in both males and females visited hospitals for dialysis. The high prevalence of hepatitis viruses among HD patients indicates a close relation between HD centers and hepatitis virus transmission. Therefore, preventive control measures are essential to reduce hepatitis transmission in HD centers