1. DOES HIV/ HEPATITIS COINFECTION AFFECT PEOPLE ACCESSING CARE FOR HIV
DOES HIV/ HEPATITIS COINFECTION AFFECT PEOPLE ACCESSING CARE FOR HIV? Suchitra JB, Nirmala R
FREEDOM FOUNDATION
180 HENNUR CROSS, BANGALORE
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY POPULATION
BACKGROUND
Coinfection with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are known to be common in patients with HIV infection. It is also known that timely diagnosis and clinical staging of chronic hepatitis infection are critical in the management of HIV coinfected patients. However HBV and HCV are not routinely tested for in a resource poor setting like India due to the costs associated with the testing and treatment.
AIM OF THE STUDY
1.Prevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C virus coinfection in HIV infected individuals .
2.The correlation of LEE (Liver Enzyme Elevation) and Hepatitis coinfection.
3. Impact of LEE on mortality .
MALE
FEMALE
TOTAL
Number 70 30
100
AGE: Min - Max range (years)
25-57
20-55
20-57
Mean age  SD
35.19  7.07
34.76  9.15
38.50  7.69
MATERIALS AND METHODS STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, Descriptive, Qualitative study. SUBJECTS: Diagnosed HIV positive patients (n=100) visiting the HIV clinic for initiation of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART), were included in the study. LABORATORY MARKERS: HBsAg ,anti-HCV antibodies and Liver Function Tests (LFTs) among other tests done as routine for initiation of HAART. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-square and Fisher exact test
CONCLUSIONS HIV infected patients co-infected with HBV or HCV were at considerably higher risk of developing LEE compared with patients without co-infection.
REFERENCES 1.Den Brinker M, Wit FW, Wertheim-van DPM, Jurriaans S, Weel J, Van Leeuwen R et al., Hepatitis B and C virus co-infection and the risk for hepatotoxicity of highly active antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1 infection. AIDS 2000;14: Yachimski P, Chung RT. Update on Hepatitis B and C Coinfection in HIV. Curr Infect Dis Rep 2005; 7:
Testing for Hepatitis coinfection among HIV infected individuals is necessary as the prevalence rate is on the rise.
The diagnosis will help influence treatment initiation, management and complications associated with Hepatitis, HIV coinfection.