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HBV markers in haemodialysis Brazilian patients: a prospective 12-month follow-up Moreira, Regina Célia; Deguti, Marta Mitiko; Lemos, Marcilio Figueiredo; Saraceni, Cláudia Patara; Oba, Isabel Takano; Spina, Angela Maria Miranda; Nascimento-Lima, Alessandra Stilhano; Fares, Jorge; Azevedo, Raymundo Soares; Gomes-Gouvêa, Michele Soares; Carrilho, Flair José & Pinho, João Renato Rebello Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among haemodialysis (HD) subjects and to evaluate whether testing for serological markers at the time of admission is suitable for HBV screening in this population. One hundred twenty-three patients belonging to two HD centres from São Paulo, Brazil, were tested prospectively. HBV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in each of the prospective subjects (n = 123) during one year. Additionally, all samples (n = 1,476) were analysed for HBV serological markers. The prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA were 34.1%, 15.4% and 8.1%, respectively, while the incidence was null. Fluctuation in HBV serology was observed in one patient. Only 37.8% (17/45) of cases responded to the HBV vaccine. Our results suggest that employing more than one HBV marker and repeated follow-up evaluations may improve HBV screening in HD units. Keywords haemodialysis - hepatitis B - screening

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