Soroprevalência do VHC e avaliação de fatores de risco entre usuários de serviço de hemodiálise no Estado do Amapá

Abstract

Hepatitis C is one of the most serious public health problems in Brazil and the world, and there is high prevalence in some specific populations, including in patients with chronic renal failure, in hemodialysis. The spread of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in this environment may be related to several factors, such as frequent blood transfusions, the duration of the treatment, sharing machines, catheters and lines of dialysis, and to difficulty of diagnosis of the infection, especially in early stages, when there was not yet a seroconversion of antibodies (anti-HCV). The objective of this study was to describe the seroprevalence of anti-HCV in chronic renal patients submitted to hemodialysis in the state of Amapá, and correlate them with the risk factors. For that, 103 charts were evaluated of patients of the service of hemodialysis, nephrology unit of the Hospital de Clínicas Dr. Alberto Lima in Macapá, Amapá, in December 2007. The results of serology for anti-HCV were related to the risk factors. The results showed low prevalence of anti-HCV (4,8%), related to the low frequency of blood transfusion, to the early diagnosis of seroconversion, not reuse of machinery and inputs, to the adoption of “good practices” in procedures and not sharing of injecting fractions.