HIV and hepatitis C virus coinfection update

Sharing routes of transmission, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are often harbored in the same host, establishing chronic infections characterized by high serum viral loads. HIV-1 impacts the course of HCV infection by increasing the rate of HCV viral persistence, quantitative viral loads, and liver fibrosis progression rate. HCV in turn affects HIV management, particularly by increasing the risk of hepatotoxicity. Future studies will focus on understanding the pathogenesis of accelerated liver fibrosis in HIV-infected individuals, the natural history of HCV in the era of antiretroviral therapy, and the principles of managing these two infections within the same individual.