Abstract
Hepatitis B and C virus (HBV), (HBC) infection is a major public health problem worldwide, that endangers patients' lives, resulting in serious health consequences due to clinical comorbidities such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Even though accessible resources for vaccination, testing, and therapeutic interventions, the incidence of HBV in hemodialysis remains crucial. The study aimed to detect HBsAg and anti-HCV in HD patients and the control group. In a retrospective case-control, the hospital-based study was carried out on 110 participants 60 HD patients and 50 control, ELISA method was used to detect HBsAg and anti-HCV in HD patients and control sera. The prevalence rate of HBV infection was 26.3%, among HD patients, and the control group was 45 %, and 4% respectively. While the overall prevalence of HCV was 1,8 % and it was 3.3% among the HD patients, there were no cases of HBC infection among the healthy group. A statistically significant correlation between HBV infection and HD was revealed (P-value 0.019). The prevalence of HBV was extremely high among HD patients. The findings highlight the importance of performing a constructive intervention for rapid identification, and diagnosis using PCR technique, also therapeutic interventions of infected patients, and vaccination of those with non-protective anti-HBs antibodies, in an attempt to reduce morbidity and mortality in HD patients.