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Query: UMLS:C0023890 (cirrhosis)
 42,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Approximately 400,000 individuals in the United States are co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and it is likely that almost one in two of these subjects consumes alcohol. The majority of these patients suffer an accelerated course of liver disease as manifested by the onset of cirrhosis within 5 to 10 years of developing HCV infection, as well as an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is thought that chronic alcohol abuse mediates liver damage as a result of increased production of free radicals and proinflammatory cytokines. In the setting of chronic HCV infection, alcohol ingestion has an additional effect of diminishing immune clearance and increasing viral burden to hasten the onset of cirrhosis and HCC. Likewise, chronic HCV and HIV-1 co-infection results in a net increase in HCV burden; higher prevalence rates of HCV transmission to sexual partners and offspring, as well as an accelerated progression to end stage liver disease as compared to individuals with HCV infection alone. Thus, the synergistic effects of alcohol abuse and HIV-1 greatly impact on the morbidity and mortality for patients with HCV coinfection. Ultimately, this cumulative disease process will require far more aggressive management with abstinence and counseling for alcohol abuse; highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV infection and combination anti-viral therapy for HCV infection to stem the rapid progression to end stage liver disease.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infections in alcoholics. 1208 18

HIV-hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection is common and affects more than one-third of all HIV infected persons worldwide. Prevalence among risk categories varies according to shared risk factors for transmission, mainly intravenous drug use (IDU) and hemophiliacs. Chronic HCV infection seems to accelerate the course of HIV disease, resulting in a worsened clinical and immunological progression. At the same time, several studies suggest that HIV disease modifies the natural history of HCV infection, leading to a faster course of progression from active hepatitis to cirrhosis, to end stage liver disease and death. HCV infection mimics opportunistic diseases because its natural history is significantly accelerated in HIV patients. Since highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has slowed the progression of HIV disease and decreased the rate of HIV associated mortality, the prognosis of HIV disease has been modified, and the need to treat HCV coinfection become a significant issue. Because of the poor response rate obtained by either interferon alone or interferon thrice weekly plus ribavirin, the combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin will probably become the standard of care, although the clinicians should be aware of the overlapping toxicity of nucleoside analogues and ribavirin. Many selected categories of patients pose particular challenges to physicians treating HCV infection: nonresponders to interferon, cirrhotic patients, and patients infected with both HCV and HBV. Liver transplantation in HIV patients is currently under evaluation, but should become the rescue therapy for HIV patients with end stage liver disease.
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PMID:HCV chronic hepatitis in patients with HIV: clinical management issues. 1213 7

Alcohol consumption by individuals infected with HIV is an important medical management issue with significant implications for the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy as well as an important evolving field of HIV research. Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for poor medication adherence and can modify liver drug metabolism, both of which can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant virus. Research indicates that alcohol consumption greater than 50 g/day (four or five drinks) is a risk factor for liver disease progression among patients with HIV/HCV coinfection. In addition, alcohol-induced cirrhosis can result in changes in drug metabolism in the liver through compromised liver function. More research studies are needed to elucidate the biological and molecular basis of the clinical changes induced by alcohol consumption in HIV-infected individuals and on the relationship of these changes to the effectiveness of HIV pharmacotherapy. Specifically, research areas that are of particular importance are (1) determining alcohol consumption levels and patterns and its impact on antiretroviral medication adherence, efficacy, and physician prescribing practices; (2) identifying behavioral interventions to enhance adherence to HIV medications and reduce alcohol consumption; (3) clarifying the relationships and interactions among alcohol metabolism, HIV drug metabolism, and pharmacogenetics; (4) elucidating the extent of liver toxicity due to antiretroviral therapy and drug-drug interactions in individuals who consume alcohol; and (5) delineating the contribution of alcohol consumption to end-stage organ damage, particularly in HIV/HCV coinfection.
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PMID:Alcohol use and HIV pharmacotherapy. 1216 67

The biochemical, virologic, and histologic spectrum of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 66 consecutive patients with HIV-HCV coinfection and 119 HCV controls was compared: 86% of coinfected patients had CD4 counts >200 cells/mm3, 51% had a normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) value, the mean HCV RNA titer was 5.7 log IU/mL, 92% of coinfected patients were of genotype 1, and the mean histologic activity index was 6.86 with advanced fibrosis in 32% of patients. The biochemical, virologic, and histologic findings of HCV in coinfected patients were similar to those observed in HCV controls. For both groups of patients, no clinical, biochemical, or virologic factors could reliably identify patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis, underscoring the importance of liver biopsy in the evaluation of these patients. The spectrum of liver disease in coinfection includes a significant proportion of patients with normal ALT values, and excluding these patients from previous studies has led to an overestimation of HCV disease severity.
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PMID:The clinical spectrum of hepatitis C virus in HIV coinfection. 1251 11

To ascertain the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression and associated death in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), we examined mortality rates, the presence of other diseases, and antiretroviral use in an observational cohort of 823 HIV-infected patients with and without HCV coinfection during the period of January 1996 through June 2001. Analyses were used to compare patient characteristics, comorbid conditions, and survival durations in HIV-infected and HIV-HCV-coinfected patients. HIV-HCV-coinfected persons did not have a statistically greater rate of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or of renal or cardiovascular disease, but they did have more cases of cirrhosis and transaminase elevations. There were proportionately more deaths in the HIV-HCV-coinfected group. Age, baseline CD4+ cell count, and duration of HAART were significantly associated with survival, but HCV infection was not. HAART use was a strong predictor of increased duration of survival, suggesting that treatment is more important to survival than is HCV coinfection status.
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PMID:Influence of coinfection with hepatitis C virus on morbidity and mortality due to human immunodeficiency virus infection in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. 1288 76

Coinfection with HIV and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a growing public health concern. Because the diseases are spread in similar ways--notably through shared use of needles to inject drugs and sexual activity--many people are coinfected with HIV and HCV, HIV and HBV, or even all three viruses. Hepatitis C and hepatitis B are viral infections of the liver; over time they can lead to serious consequences including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Most studies show that HIV infection leads to more aggressive hepatitis C or hepatitis B and a higher risk of liver damage. Studies of how HCV and HBV affect HIV disease are less clear. Most research shows that HCV does not accelerate HIV disease progression, but HIV/HCV coinfection may impair immune system recovery after starting antiretroviral therapy. Coinfection can complicate treatment. People with liver damage due to chronic hepatitis are more likely to experience hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity) related to anti-HIV drugs. In addition, drugs used to treat HIV and hepatitis can interact and side effects may be exacerbated. Most experts recommend that HIV should be controlled first before a person begins HCV treatment. With careful management, most people with HIV/HCV or HIV/HBV coinfection can be successfully treated for both diseases. In fact, several recent studies suggest that HIV/HCV-coinfected people with well-controlled HIV disease and relatively high CD4 cell counts may do as well as those with HCV alone.
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PMID:HIV and hepatitis C coinfection. 1269 Oct 36

Thrombocytopenia is an important and common hematological abnormality in patients with HIV-1/HCV coinfection. Splenomegaly is a frequent finding in these patients and usually causes hypersplenism and thrombocytopenia. We analyzed the clinical results of a minimal invasive treatment (splenic artery embolization) for thrombocytopenia secondary to hypersplenism and refractory to other therapies in two hemophiliac patients, HIV seropositive and with cirrhosis due to chronic HCV infection. The results suggest that splenic artery embolization is a safe, relatively atraumatic and effective method for the treatment of splenomegaly and hypersplenism in selected patients with HIV-1/HCV coinfection.
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PMID:[Splenic artery embolization for the treatment of hypersplenism in hemophilic, HIV-1 and HCV seropositive patients]. 1287 7

HIV and HCV share common transmission pathways, but HCV is more efficiently transmitted through blood than with sexual exposure. Thus HCV coinfection is frequent in HIV seropositives, mainly in those with history of injection drug use and/or transfusion. HIV coinfection increases HCV replication rate, the rate of HCV vertical transmission and accelerates the course of hepatitis C towards cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The evidence of an effect of HCV on HIV disease progression is less convincing. The results of several studies suggest that HCV coinfection does not hasten the progression of HIV infection towards AIDS. However two recent studies showed that HCV coinfection is independently associated with a lower restoration of CD4 counts during combination antiretroviral treatment. However this finding should be confirmed by additional studies.
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PMID:HIV/HCV co-infection: natural history. 1451 13

Due to shared risk factors for transmission, coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a very common event. The prevalence of HCV infection among HIV-positive patients averages about 35% in the United States and Europe, but in clinical populations where there is a great prevalence of intravenous drug use as a risk factor for acquiring HIV, this value may be as high as 80-90%. Several studies have confirmed that HIV coinfection accelerates the natural course of chronic hepatitis C and an increased risk of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and decompensated liver disease has been found in coinfected subjects. Other studies have shown an increased risk of progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related death among HIV-HCV-positive persons, suggesting that HCV coinfection may accelerate the course of HIV disease. In addition, hepatitis C may affect the management of HIV infection, increasing the incidence of liver toxicity associated with the antiretroviral regimens. The optimal therapeutic approach to HCV infection in HIV coinfected patients is still uncertain, because of the complex pathogenesis of both infections, potential drugdrug interactions, and the poor literature and information available about safety and efficacy of an interferon (IFN) and ribavirin combination in this clinical population. Available data show that the sustained virological response rates in coinfected persons treated with standard IFN plus ribavirin range from 18-40%, and several studies with pegylated IFN plus ribavirin are ongoing.
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PMID:Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus coinfection: epidemiology, natural history, therapeutic options and clinical management. 1500 41

Liver disease has emerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Hepatic injury is highly associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, though hepatitis B virus and drug-induced hepatotoxicity are also important cofactors. HCV coinfection is linked to increased hepatic fibrosis progression, leading to development of cirrhosis and liver failure earlier than in HCV monoinfected patients. Initiation of highly active antiretroviral treatment regimens may paradoxically increase HCV loads. Some data suggest that HCV coinfection may hasten progression of AIDS, but this remains controversial. Three major randomized clinical trials demonstrate improved efficacy of peginterferon with ribavirin for treatment of HCV in coinfected subjects compared to those with HCV alone. However, response rates are lower than those observed in patients with HCV monoinfection. Sustained virologic response rates of 27% to 40% are reported.
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PMID:HCV and HIV: a tale of two viruses. 1518 18


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