Specialized Care for HCV Improves Survival in HIV/HCV Co-Infected Patients
By Brian Boyle, MD

In prior studies, HIV has been demonstrated to have an adverse impact upon liver disease related to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The impact of chronic HCV infection on HIV survival is less clear, with some studies showing that HCV co-infection shortens survival of HIV-infected patients while others do not.

In a study presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (52nd AASLD) meeting in Dallas, Texas, Aronson and colleagues report data from a study that evaluated whether HIV/HCV co-infected patients that seek specialized treatment for HCV have better survival rates than those who do not. The study included 2,969 HIV-infected patients, 603 of whom were HCV co-infected. The investigators divided these patients into 3 groups: 2,366 patients infected with HIV only, 62 HIV/HCV co-infected patients who were judged to be adherent to specialized treatment for their HCV infection and 549 HIV/HCV co-infected patients who were judged to be non adherent to that treatment.

The investigators found that there was a significantly higher survival rate in the HIV/HCV infected patients that sought and adhered to specialized treatment for their HCV infection than in the patients infected with HIV only or the co-infected patients who were non-adherent. In addition, the patients infected with HIV only had a significantly longer survival than the non adherent co-infected patients. The improved survival of the adherent, co-infected patients and the patients infected with HIV only was not found to be a result of varying demographics, baseline CD4+ T cell count, or HIV viral load.

Based upon these data, the authors conclude, "co-infected patients who actively seek specialized care for their HCV infection have significantly better survival rates than patients who do not."

11/12/01

Reference
N Aronson and others. Survival in HCV/HIV Co-Infected Patients. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (52nd AASLD). November 9-13, 2001. Dallas, Texas. Abstract 234.

Reprinted with permission from Hiv and Hepatitis Org
www.hivandhepatitis.org