Hepatitis C virus infection in patients on renal replacement therapy

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease in patients on renal replacement therapy. Spontaneous clearance of HCV is unusual. Second generation assays for anti-HCV, which have high sensitivity and specificity, are used conventionally for diagnosis. They are supplemented by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for HCV RNA. Quantitative HCV RNA assays, although expensive, may he useful in patients receiving anti-viral therapy. Preliminary data also suggest that the clinical course and response to treatment may vary according to the HCV genotypes. The higher prevalence of HCV infection among haemodialysed patients (approximately 30%), as compared to patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD;