Emerging epidemiologic observations in HCV/HIV coinfection

Recent studies indicate that when HCV-infected patients also are infected with HIV, their risk of chronic liver disease is increased up to twofold compared with the risk for HCV-infected patients without HIV. As a result, consideration for HCV antiviral therapy should not be hindered by HIV status. The data are inconclusive on the role of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in chronic liver disease progression. The limited data available do not support an HIV-related increase in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV-infected patients. Acute hepatotoxicity clearly increases significantly when HAART is administered to patients infected with both HIV and HCV, compared with patients infected with HIV alone. Nonetheless, the overall benefit of HAART in persons with HIV is far greater than the risk of hepatotoxicity, even with coinfection. Copyright © 2006 by Current Science Inc.