الفهرس 
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Abstract
Egypt is one of the highest countries in the world regarding the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are at higher risk for HCV infection more than general population. Since 2014 Egypt has started a large elimination program for screening and treatment of HCV. Goal was early detection, treatment of HCV patients and intending HCV prevalence reduction to <2% in 10 years, in line with global targets. In addition, Egypt has aimed to treat 250000 people annually up to 2020 in the first phase of their treatment program aiming at reducing the number of viremic patients, thus limiting the ongoing HCV transmission.
So, this study aimed to measure the Prevalence of HCV infection among ESRD patients and to identify the reasons of missed treatment among those who were offered the treatment free of charge.
This multi-center cross sectional study included 410 patients receiving hemodialysis sessions on regular basis 4 hours/3 times per week for more than 6 months in Ain Shams University Hospitals, patient recruitment from March 2023 to August 2023.
Compared to earlier research, our study found a reduced seroprevalence of HCV among HD patients. Additionally, 3.17% of patients had HCV PCR results, showing a sharp decline in the prevalence of HCV infection following the nationwide eradication program.
The low frequency of HCV in hemodialysis patients demonstrates that HCV infection does not pose a serious health risk to those receiving maintenance hemodialysis. However, preventing and lowering the prevalence of hepatitis infections will be justified by careful adherence to appropriate and effective protocols for controlling hepatitis infections. Clinically speaking, people on hemodialysis need more care and resources than the general population.