Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among patients undergoing haemodialysis in Latin America

Hepatitis C infection is a worldwide problem. The global prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) averages 3%. Moreover, its prevalence among patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) varies worldwide, ranging from as low as 1% to up to 70%. There are few data on its prevalence in developing countries, and even less information is available on HD patients. A literature review revealed that the prevalence of HCV infection among patients undergoing HD in Latin America ranges from 4.2 to 83.9%, with most data stemming from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Venezuela and Cuba. The most common genotype was genotype 1, and subtype 1 b was the most frequent. The risk factors associated with this condition were the duration of the HD treatment and blood transfusion before hepatitis C screening. In addition, HCV RNA detection by polymerase chain reaction is crucial for the diagnosis of HCV infection in HD patients. Trials using combinations of new oral antiviral drugs, such as sofosbuvir and combo (ombitasvir, paritaprevir, ritonavir and dasabuvir), should be the next step in the improvement of care among HD patients with HCV, because these therapeutic agents apparently do not require dose adjustment according to renal function. Finally, information on this subgroup of patients remains unavailable in some countries; therefore, additional studies are needed to determine the prevalence trend of HCV infection in these populations.