NDT Advance Access originally published online on March 5, 2004
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Nephrol Dial Transplant (2004) 19: 1049-1053
Nephrol Dial Transplant Vol. 19 No. 5 © ERA-EDTA 2004; all rights reserved
Editorial Comment
Chronic hepatitis virus infections in patients on renal replacement therapy
Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
Correspondence and offprint requests to: Thomas Fehr, MD, Transplantation Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, MGH East CNY 149, 13th street, Boston, MA 02129, USA. Email: thomas.fehr@tbrc.mgh.harvard.edu
Keywords: diagnosis; dialysis; hepatitis; therapy; transplantation
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
| The magnitude of the problem |
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Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections represent a major problem in dialysis patients and renal allograft recipients.
- They cause renal failure due to glomerulonephritis, which may recur in the renal transplant [1].
- Patients with chronic renal failure have acquired hepatitis virus infection via blood transfusions, which were necessary to treat hyporegenerative renal anaemia. With the advent of recombinant human erythropoietin, this has now become a minor source of transmission. However, repetitive invasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions still cause major bleeding episodes in the context of uraemia.
- HBV and HCV infections are difficult to treat because of the limited efficacy and a high rate of side effects of the available drugs.
- No HCV vaccination is available yet.
| Prevalence of HBV and HCV infection |
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The prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in patients on renal replacement therapy varies considerably among different areas of the world (Table 1) [2]. It is
| Diagnostic approach |
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| Diagnosis of infection |
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HBV infection
HCV infection
| Assessment of liver disease severity |
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| Therapeutic approach |
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| Role and risks of interferon therapy |
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| Specific therapeutic options in different patient groups |
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HBV infection
HCV infection
| Conclusion |
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This article has been cited by other articles:
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N. Perico, D. Cattaneo, B. Bikbov, and G. Remuzzi Hepatitis C Infection and Chronic Renal Diseases Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., January 1, 2009; 4(1): 207 - 220. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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J. Borawski, B. Naumnik, and M. Mysliwiec Liver disease vs systemic inflammation in haemodialysis patients Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., June 1, 2005; 20(6): 1277 - 1278. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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