Role of Interleukin-28B in Clearance of HCV in Hemodialysis Patients in Kirkuk City

Patients undergoing hemodialysis are at increased risk of infection with blood-borne viruses, especially viral hepatitis. The present study investigated these issues and the possibility of nosocomial transmission among patients undergoing hemodialysis. A cross sectional study was carried out on 200 patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and 50 blood donorsas control who admitted to blood bank in Kirkuk province from 1^st of August 2018 to 1^st of February 2019.

Results: The study showed that the highest rate of HCV Ab (14%) was recorded in HD patients whereas no one of control group was infected with HCV, the result was highly significant. The highest rate of HCV infection (18.75%) was found in patients with dialysis for more than 3 years.The highest mean level of IL-28 B was recorded in HD patients with HCV infection comparing with patients without HCV infection (0.097 vs. 0.092 pg/ml).There was highly significant relation between HCV infection and mean level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in HD patients comparing with patients without HCV infection.