Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Regular Hemodialysis

OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of the Hepatitis C Virus in patients with chronic kidney disease receiving regular hemodialysis. METHODOLOGY At a tertiary care hospital in Peshawar, 211 patients were observed to ascertain the frequency of the Hepatitis C Virus in chronic kidney disease patients receiving regular hemodialysis. The technique of non-probability sequential sampling was employed to acquire samples. SPSS version 26.0 was used. RESULTSAmong the CKD patients with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection, a higher proportion of males (48.5%) tested positive compared to females (28.1%). Furthermore, the prevalence of HCV infection was significantly higher in CKD patients residing in urban areas (98.5%) compared to those in rural areas (1.5%). The statistical analysis indicated a significant association between the prevalence of Hepatitis and the factors of gender and residency (P value = 0.002). Out of 211, hepatitis C-positive patients 66.2% were diabetics and hypertensive were 77.9%. CONCLUSION Hospitalized CKD patients have a considerably higher frequency of hepatitis C infection. To stop the spread of the hepatitis C virus, nephrology wards should undertake strict universal infection control procedures.