Hepatitis B infection among hemodialysis patients in Al-Jazirah State: a seroepidemiological survey

Hemodialysis patients are more susceptible to HBV infection because they have low immunity and can be inflicted through an improperly sterilized machine or through a tainted blood transfusion. A cross-sectional study aimed to study the prevalence of HBV among hemodialysis patients in Aljazeera State, Hospital for Renal Disease and Surgery during the period between March and August 2018. A total of ninety-one blood samples were obtained randomly from hemodialysis patients. The plasma was examined for the presence of HBsAg using a sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA). Data collected by a structured questionnaire included sociodemographic data such as age, sex, marital status, education level, duration of dialysis, previous HBV vaccination, history of surgical operation, history of jaundice and history of blood transfusion. Detectable marker for HBV infections (HBsAg) were found in 21 (23.1%) patients, while the remaining 70 patients (76.9%) were negative. We noted that education level and a history of jaundice had a significant effect on the seroprevalence of HBV, with a P value <0.05.

The study concluded that HBV infection among hemodialysis (HD) patients is high. So, extensive effort to enroll HD patients in a vaccination programme against HBV is recommended. Moreover, periodically screening for early detection of HBV infection among hemodialysis patients is deemed essential in order to for therapeutic measures to be promptly initiated, and for the prevention and protection of other patients and staff in the hemodialysis unit.