Hepatitis C in children with chronic kidney disease: A single-center, Egypt

Abstract

Prevalence of hepatitis C varies largely according to geographical distribution, and Egypt so far has the highest prevalence worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate hepatitis C infection in chronic kidney disease (CKD) children in our center with regard to its incidence and other morbidities. This is a cross-sectional study involving 50 children with CKD, not on dialysis. All patients underwent a thorough history taking including disease duration and mean duration of admission, clinical examination including blood pressure measurements, and routine laboratory examination such as hemoglobin level, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine. The detection of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies was done in all patients based on the use of third-generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA) that detects antibodies directed against various HCV epitopes. Nine (18%) children were found to be hepatitis C positive and 41 were negative to hepatitis C. Infected cases were of older age group and had a longer duration of CKD, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), lower hemoglobin, higher ALT, higher serum urea, and creatinine. We conclude that 18% of children with CKDs have hepatitis C infection, and those with longer the duration of renal disease is more likely to be positive for HCV. Furthermore, HCV infection may predispose to higher deterioration of eGFR, lower hemoglobin level, and more days of admission. We recommend routine testing of HCV in all children with CKD.