Decline in hepatitis B and C prevalence among hemodialysis patients in Tocantins, Northern Brazil

Infection control measures have been responsible for a decline in the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in hemodialysis patients. In Brazil, these measures have been in place since 1996. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current HBV and HCV epidemiology among hemodialysis patients in the State of Tocantins comparing them with those found 14 years ago. There was a significant decline in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV prevalence from 4% and 13% in 2001 to 0.8% and 2.8% in 2014-2015, respectively (p < 0.05). Variables related to hemodialysis environment such as working shift and length of time on hemodialysis treatment were no longer associated to HCV and HBV exposure in 2014-2015. A high prevalence of self-reported hepatitis B vaccination was observed in both periods, but only 30% of the individuals showed serological profile of effective previous immunization, suggesting a low compliance with surveillance of hepatitis B immunization in hemodialysis centers. The significant decline in viral hepatitis B and C prevalence in hemodialysis patients in Tocantins underscores the importance of infection control measures, but the low frequency of protective serological profile after immunization against hepatitis B points to the need for greater vigilance of the patients’ vaccination

Incidência de hepatite C em doadores de sangue do município de Anápolis no ano de 2010 - doi: 10.5102/ucs.v11i1.1730

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a incidência em doadores de sangue portadores do Vírus da Hepatite C (VHC). Trata-se de um estudo documental quantitativo, que avaliou 13.663 doações de sangue, e nestas, 12 doadores com sorologia positiva para VHC na triagem sorológica. Os dados foram analisados pelo Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0. Predominou o sexo masculino (75%), com idade média de 28 anos, (DP= 9,17, Min= 20, Max= 46 anos); 83% dos doadores reagentes foram compostos por indivíduos solteiros, com ensino médio completo (67%) e entre os primodoadores (92%), a taxa de incidência anual foi de 0,036/1000. A incidência para o VHC em candidatos à doação de sangue foi similar à encontrada em outros estudos. A população em geral deve ser informada acerca do diagnóstico e do risco da transmissão e complicações do VHC