[The importance of the blood transfusion factor in the epidemic process in hepatitis C in the patients of chronic hemodialysis units studied using a computer simulation model].

Examinations for the presence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) were carried out in 144 patients of chronic hemodialysis wards and 83 blood donors. The anti-HCV were found in 26.4% of the patients and only in 1.2% of the blood donors. A definite increase in the incidence of HCV infection in the patients of hemodialysis wards was established in relation to the duration of the treatment, namely from 17.4% in the patients treated for up to 1 year to 37.5% in those treated for 6 years or more. Significant differences were observed in the rate of anti-HCV findings in the patients with kidney transplantation and in those who had not experience this operation. The results obtained by an imitation computer model indicated that the hemotransfusion factor is not the only one determining the high rate of HCV infection in patients of chronic hemodialysis wards, however its influence on the intensity of the epidemic process in hepatitis C in these wards was sufficiently high.