Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients in Maracaibo, Venezuela

over a two year period, the incidence of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection was evaluated in 29 hemodialysis patients, aged between 15 and 75 years (mean ± sd: 45 ± 39.5 years), from the university hospital hemodyalisis unit, maracaibo, zulia state, venezuela. anti-hcv antibodies were determined using a fourth generation elisa (innotest hcv ab iv) kit and positive blood samples were tested using a recombinant assay kit (inno-lia hcv ab iii), both kits from innogenetics n.v., belgium. the findings indicate a lack of hcv seroconversion in the hemodialysis patients over the study period, confirmed by the recombinant assay. risk factors for hcv infection were 0.3270 (95% confidence interval: 0.01323-8.080) in patients undergoing hemodialysis. the findings suggest a lack of significant sources for hcv infection due to the preventive measures to avoid its transmission in the hemodialysis unit.