Impact of Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection on HAART in HIV-Infected Individuals: Multicentric Observation Cohort

The current prospective study examined the influence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection on treatment of HIV patients taking nevirapine-containing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Researchers enrolled 175 Chinese adults with HIV-1 who initiated HAART and attended follow-up visits during 2005-07. Clinical, virological, and immunological responses and adverse events were monitored among the subjects, who were grouped by HCV antibody and RNA test results. Data were analyzed using repeated measures of variance.

Among the patients, 117 were HCV antibody-negative, 24 were HCV antibody-positive but RNA-negative, and 34 were positive on both tests. Compared with both antibody-negative and antibody-positive but RNA-negative patients, those testing positive on both tests had a higher incidence of rash (P=0.044) and hepatotoxicity (P=0.001) from adverse drug reactions.

"We observed no statistically significant differences in viral load responses among the three groups during follow-up," the authors concluded. "CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses were similar among the three groups. HCV/HIV coinfection does not affect immunological and virological responses to HAART; however, the positive anti-HCV and HCV RNA in serum worsened adverse drug reactions to HAART such as rash and hepatoxicity in HIV patients."

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