Prevalence and risk factors of the hepatitis G (HGV) infection in hemodialysis patients

Background: GBV-C and HGV are different isolates of the same virus which were identified by two independent research groups. HGV is a blood-borne virus and a member of flaviviridae. This virus is present in the volunteer blood donors. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HGV-RNA by PCR and investigation of risk factors for viral transmission. Materials and methods: In all patients (n=269), HGV-RNA were detected by RT-PCR. Liver function tests performed by colorimetric method and epidemiologic data were obtained to evaluate risk factors for HGV in hemodialysis patients. Results: Viremia was seen in %12.6 of patients. It was found that blood transfusion increased the risk of HGV infection significantly (P < 0.05). There was no association between HGV infection and duration of hemodialysis or age of the patients. Conclusion: Prevalence of HGV in hemodialysis patients is high and among the investigated risk factors, only the number of transfusion of blood or blood products increases the risk of new infection during hemodialysis.