Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and C viruses among haemodialysis patients in Gaza strip, Palestine | El-Ottol et al. Virology Journal 2010 7 210 http content 7 1 210 VIROLOGY JOURNAL RESEARCH Open Access Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and C viruses among haemodialysis patients in Gaza strip Palestine Abed El-kader Y El-Ottol1 Abdelraouf A Elmanama2 Basim M Ayesh3 Abstract Background The prevalence of hepatitis B virus HBV and hepatitis C virus HCV and its associated risk factors among haemodialysis HD patients in Gaza strip was investigated using serological and molecular techniques. Results The overall prevalence of HBV among the four HD centers was . The main risk factors were HD center p history of blood transfusion p and treatment abroad p . The overall prevalence of HCV among the four HD centers was 22 . The main risk factors were HD center p time duration on HD p history of blood transfusion p treatment abroad p and history of blood transfusion abroad p . Serum aminotransferases levels decreased in HD patients compared with normal population but still there was a direct association between the activity of liver enzymes and both HBV p and HCV p infection. Conclusion The much higher prevalence of Hepatitis viruses among HD patients compared to the normal population of Gaza strip indicates a causative relation between HD and hepatitis viruses transmission. Therefore extremely careful observation of preventive infection control measures is essential to limit Hepatitis viruses transmission in HD centers. Introduction Hepatitis B virus HBV and hepatitis C virus HCV infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality among haemodialysis HD patients and pose problems in the management of patients in the renal dialysis units because chronic renal failure patients do not clear these viral infections efficiently 1 . In Arab countries the prevalence of chronic HBsAg positivity among HD patients ranged from 2 in Morocco to in Bahrain 2-5 . Also In Arab countries the prevalence
