Hepatitis E virus infection rate in hemodialysis patients in Baghdad city

Abstract

Introduction: When someone is immunocompromised, such as a patient receiving hemodialysis for renal failure, the hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most  prolific  viral  pathogen.  In  addition  to  the  fecal-oral  route  of transmission, blood-borne HEV infection has also been documented in recent times. We looked into the true state of HEV infection in individuals receiving routine hemodialysis based on these findings.
Aim  of  study:  To  investigate  the  seroprevalence  of  HEV  among individuals receiving hemodialysis (HD).
Patients & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from  a  total  of  ninety  patients  on  maintenance  haemodialysis  (HD) attending the HD dialysis centres of Al-Kadhimiya Educational Hospital, Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital and Al-Shu'ala General Hospital between November  2023  and  March  2024.  The  presence  of  anti-HEV  IgG antibodies in serum samples was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.
Results: HEV-IgG seropositive results were found in 22 (36.67%) of 60 haemodialysis patients. 11 (18.33%) patients were males and 11 (18.33%) were females with an insignificant difference, but the result was negative in each control group. In addition. The 20 (33.33%) patients infected with HEV were from Karakh city and 2 (3.33%) were from Rasafa city with significant difference (p≤0.05).