Factors Correlating to the Development of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Hemodialysis Patients-Findings Mainly from Asiatic Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-04, Vol.16 (8), p.1453
• Main Authors: Cai, Gaofeng, Zheng, Hongjie, Luo, Lan, Wang, Zhengting, Jiang, Zhenggang, Xu, Shuangfei, Lv, Huakun, Chen, Yongdi, Zhou, Biao, Hu, Chonggao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age composition; Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Asian People; Blood transfusions; Criteria; Diagnostic systems; Hemodialysis; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Humans; Immunization; Infections; Kidney Failure, Chronic - epidemiology; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Meta-analysis; Renal Dialysis; Review; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Sensitivity analysis; Software; Studies; Viruses
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16081453

Hemodialysis is an effective replacement therapy for chronic renal failure patients. In recent decades, the number of hemodialysis patients has grown rapidly and some measures for preventing blood-borne diseases have been implemented, but hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a significant problem. The meta-analysis published in 2009 on HCV infection-related factors was based on localized study objects, and some additional studies have been published since 2009; however, the contribution of these factors remains under dispute. Our study pooled the odds ratios (ORs) or mean standard deviations (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and analyzed sensitivity using Review Manager 5.1 software (5.1 version Copenhagen: The Nordic Cochrane Centre; 2011) by searching data in the PubMed, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, and EBSCO databases. Spearman correlation analysis was performed using the SPSS package. In our meta-analysis, 1715 HCV-infected hemodialysis patients and 7093 non-HCV-infected hemodialysis patients from 44 studies were analyzed. The pooled ORs with 95% CIs were: histories of blood transfusion, 4.30 (3.11, 5.96); weekly hemodialysis times > 2, 6.00 (3.25, 11.06); kidney transplantation, 5.80 (3.95, 8.52); hemodialysis units > 2, 6.90 (2.42, 19.68); shared hemodialysis devices, 5.00 (2.35, 10.65); and drug addiction, 4.73 (1.54, 14.47). The pooled MDs with 95% CIs were duration of hemodialysis (months) 27.48 (21.67, 33.30). There was a positive correlation between duration of hemodialysis and the HCV infection rate ( < 0.01). Hemodialysis patients, especially from Asia, with shared hemodialysis devices, hemodialysis units > 2, blood transfusion, kidney transplantation, and drug addiction were at increased risk of HCV infection. The HCV infection rate increased with the duration of hemodialysis. High-risk hemodialysis patients should be monitored and receive timely screening.