The world prevalence, associated risk factors and mortality of hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The worldwide burden of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients has not been systematically examined. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and Scopus to determine the worldwide prevalence of HCV infection, risk factors, and clinical outcomes among hemodialysis patients. Random-effect models and meta-regressions were used to generate pooled estimates and assess heterogeneity. RESULTS: Four hundred and seven studies with 1,302,167 participants were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of HCV infection was 21%. The highest prevalence was observed in Africa (28%) and low-income countries (48.5%). A significant prevalence decline was observed following the publication year and was also inversely related to GDP and total population of each country. Factors associated with HCV positivity included younger age, longer dialysis duration, more blood transfusions, and dialyzer reuse. The pooled unadjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 1.12 (95% CI 1.03–1.22), and the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.21 (95% CI 1.12–1.30) in HCV-infected compared to non-HCV infected patients. CONCLUSIONS: HCV infection among hemodialysis patients is a worldwide shared burden and is associated with a higher risk of death. Avoiding unnecessary blood transfusion and dialyzer reuse should be encouraged to prevent HCV transmission in hemodialysis units. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40620-022-01483-x.