The Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus in Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease on Regular Hemodialysis in Duhok, Iraq: A Brief Report

Background and aim: Hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) infections are considered as major global public health concerns. Chronic infections may lead to liver cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and on regular hemodialysis in Duhok located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Duhok, Iraq between January 2019 and October 2019. During this period, a total of 143 patients within the age range of 9-72 years old with ESKD visited the Duhok dialysis center for regular hemodialysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to test HBV and HCV positivity and then HBV viral load was tested by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Finally, HCV positivity was confirmed by the Xpert HCV quantification assay. Results: Among the recruited samples, 5 out of 143 (3.49%) patients were positive for HBV while HBV viral load for those patients was undetected. On the other hand, 3/143 (2.1%) patients tested positive for HCV Ab. All these 3 patients were also confirmed positive by the RT-PCR. Conclusions: ESKD patients on regular analysis showed a low prevalence of HBV and HCV in the Duhok dialysis center. An effective infection control program, vaccination, and treatment of HCV make the elimination of HBV and HCV feasible in such a group.