Serology for hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis in the initial evaluation of diabetes patients referred for an external nephrology consultation.

INTRODUCTION: Information is available regarding the prevalence and incidence of positive microbiological serology results both in the general population and in patients on haemodialysis in Spain. Nevertheless, little information is known regarding patients with diabetes attended in external nephrology consultations. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the percentage of patients with positive serology results for hepatitis B and C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and syphilis in the initial assessment of patients referred to diabetic nephropathy external consultations. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Retrospective study of 500 patients assessed over the course of 5 years with the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy originating in external consultations and for which hepatitis B, C, HIV, and syphilis serology had been requested. RESULTS: With regard to hepatitis B virus, 0.4% of patients had chronic hepatitis B, 10.2% had overcome the hepatitis and were in recovery, and 4.2% had received the hepatitis B vaccine. As for hepatitis C, 2.4% of the patients studied had antibodies against hepatitis C. With regard to syphilis, 0.8% of patients had positive serological results. No patients had positive HIV serology results. CONCLUSIONS: Despite major methodological limitations, this would be the first study to evaluate the microbiological serology of diabetic nephropathy patients treated in external consultations.