Comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions and substance abuse in HCV infected persons on dialysis

Background/Aims: The burden of comorbidity in the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected persons on dialysis is unknown. Methods: We identified all HCV infected and uninfected subjects in the United States Renal Data System in the years 1997–1998 using ICD-9 codes. Controls were matched on the date of first dialysis. ICD-9 codes and claims data was used to identify medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Results: We identified 5,737 HCV infected persons and 11,228 HCV uninfected subjects. HCV infected subjects were younger, more likely to be black race and male and more likely to have the following comorbidities: hypertension; hepatitis B; cirrhosis; wasting; anemia; human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; major depression; mild depression; bipolar disorder; schizophrenia; post-traumatic stress disorder; drug use; alcohol use; smoking and less likely to have the following comorbidities: coronary artery disease; stroke; peripheral vascular disease; diabetes; cancer; erythropoietin use. After adjusting for age, gender and race, HCV infected subjects were more likely to have hypertension, hepatitis B, cirrhosis, wasting, anemia and HIV infection and less likely to have coronary artery disease and stroke. Conclusions: HCV infected persons on dialysis are more likely to have psychiatric comorbidities and substance abuse, as well as certain medical comorbidities. These factors should be considered when developing future intervention strategies.