**1. Introduction**

Hepatitis C is one of the commonest chronic viral infections world-wide and has major health‐ care implications. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated prevalence of chronic HCV infection world-wide ranges from 0.1% to more than 12%, equating to approxi‐ mately 170 million chronic carriers and incidence of 3-4 million new cases per year (Carbone et al., 2011). Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in general is present in approximately 10% of the populationwithmanyofthesepatientsrequiringrenalreplacementtherapyintheformofdialysis andorkidneytransplant.Amajorcauseofmorbidityandmortalityindialysispatientsandkidney transplant recipients is liver disease secondary to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The prevalence of HCV infection is high among renal transplant donors, recipients, and in end stage renaldisease(ESRD)patientsondialysis.WhenHCVinfectionispresentinthisgroupofpatients, it has major implications (Scott et al., 2010; Goodkin et al., 2003; Carbone et al., 2011). The major factorsassociatedwiththisincreasedrelativeriskofHCVinfectionindialysispatientsasopposed togeneralpopulationareoverallexposureofbloodproducts,age,anddurationofdialysis(Periera & Levey, 1997; Finelli et al., 2005; Fissell et al., 2004). On the other hand, some recent reports indicatepossibledecline inprevalenceofHCVinfectionindialysispatients (Carbone etal.,2011; Scott et al., 2010; Finelli et al., 2005; Fissell et al., 2004; Jadoul et al., 2004; Fribrizi et al., 2002). This decline could be related to the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents that consequently lead todecrease inbloodtransfusions,andprogressive enhancementofdialysis conditions tocontrol infections. In developed countries, the prevalence of HCV infection is higher in renal trans‐ plant recipients than in dialysis patients, major contributing factors being longer survival of the former with more exposure to blood products, and most probably dialysis.
