[Significance of viral hepatitis in a dialysis center for patients and health personnel--a 5-year review].

As a nosocomial infection the virus hepatitis is now as ever of importance in dialysis centres. In a 5-year study (1980-1985) in the dialysis centre of the County Hospital St. Georg Leipzig we found an annual incidence of 14 to 20% in patients and in 25 out of 26 members of the staff signs of an overcome infection could be proved. In these cases above all younger persons with an average age of 31 years were affected about 1.5 years after the beginning of work. For patients the entry into the transplant recipient register retarded by on an average 9.4 months, for patients already registered a transient reincorporation of 12.4 months was the result. Despite the active inoculation against the virus hepatitis B on account of the further existing endangering by the NANB hepatitis and possible inoculation eruptions in the immune-disturbed dialysis patients the observation of a strong hygiene regimen is necessary.