Viral hepatitis infections among dialysis patients: Thailand registry report

BACKGROUND: Patients on dialysis are at high risk of acquiring viral hepatitis infections. However, there were only few data from Thailand. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence, incidence and associated risk factors of viral hepatitis infections among dialysis patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate 5179 medical records of dialysis patients from the Thailand Renal Replacement Therapy Registry. RESULTS: In 2002, the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections were 6.3% (n = 2454) and 4.8% (n = 2167), respectively. HBV and HCV seroprevalence became 6.5% (n = 2585) and 4.3% (n = 2399) in 2003. The incidence of HBV and HCV infections were 1.5 and 2.4 cases per 1000 patient-years, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that age and gender were significant risk factors for HBV infection, but not for HCV infection. CONCLUSION: In Thailand, it was not uncommon for dialysis patients to acquire viral hepatitis infections. However, our prevalence is similar to reports from some other South-East Asian countries.