Standardized Prevalence Ratios for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Adult Japanese Hemodialysis Patients

Masaki Ohsawa; Karen Kato; Kazuyoshi Itai; Kozo Tanno; Yosuke Fujishima; Ryuichiro Konda; Akira Okayama; Koichi Abe; Kazuyuki Suzuki; Motoyuki Nakamura; Toshiyuki Onoda; Kazuko Kawamura; Kiyomi Sakata; Takashi Akiba; Tomoaki Fujioka

doi:10.2188/jea.JE20090043

Original Article

Standardized Prevalence Ratios for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Adult Japanese Hemodialysis Patients

Masaki Ohsawa, Karen Kato, Kazuyoshi Itai, Kozo Tanno, Yosuke Fujishima, Ryuichiro Konda, Akira Okayama, Koichi Abe, Kazuyuki Suzuki, Motoyuki Nakamura, Toshiyuki Onoda, Kazuko Kawamura, Kiyomi Sakata, Takashi Akiba, Tomoaki Fujioka

Author information

Masaki Ohsawa
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Karen Kato
Department of Urology, Iwate Medical University
Kazuyoshi Itai
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Kozo Tanno
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Yosuke Fujishima
Department of Urology, Iwate Medical University
Ryuichiro Konda
Department of Urology, Iwate Medical University
Akira Okayama
The First Institute of Health Service, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association
Koichi Abe
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Kazuyuki Suzuki
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Motoyuki Nakamura
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Toshiyuki Onoda
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Kazuko Kawamura
Iwate Health Service Association
Kiyomi Sakata
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Iwate Medical University
Takashi Akiba
Division of Blood Purification, Kidney Center, Tokyo Women’s Medical University
Tomoaki Fujioka
Department of Urology, Iwate Medical University

Keywords: hepatitis C virus infection, hemodialysis, standardized prevalence ratio (SPR), population-based study, cross-sectional analysis

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2010 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 30-39

DOI https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20090043

View "Advance Publication" version (October 31, 2009).

Details

Abstract

Background: Many studies have estimated the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody among hemodialysis (HD) patients; however, the prevalence of HCV core antigen—which indicates the presence of chronic HCV infection—is not known.
Methods: Standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) for anti-HCV antibody and HCV core antigen among HD patients (n = 1214) were calculated on the basis of data from the general population (n = 22 472) living in the same area.
Results: The prevalences of anti-HCV antibody and HCV core antigen were 12.5% and 7.8%, respectively, in male hemodialysis patients, and 8.5% and 4.1% in female hemodialysis patients. The SPRs (95% confidence interval) for anti-HCV antibody and HCV core antigen were 8.39 (6.72–10.1) and 12.9 (9.66–16.1), respectively, in males, and 5.42 (3.67–7.17) and 8.77 (4.72–12.8) in females.
Conclusions: The prevalences of chronic HCV infection among male and female HD patients were 13-fold and 9-fold, respectively, those of the population-based controls. Further studies should therefore be conducted to determine the extent of chronic HCV infection among HD patients in other populations and to determine whether chronic HCV infection contributes to increased mortality in HD patients.

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