Impact of protease inhibitors on intrahepatic hepatitis C virus viral load.
During chronic hepatitis C, hepatitis C virus (HCV) load in plasma was shown to be higher in HIV-co-infected than in immunocompetent patients [1]. The reason for this increased HCV replication is not known. It may be as a result of HIV-induced immune deficiency [2], although some authors did not find any correlation with the CD4 cell count [3]. A direct interaction between HCV and HIV was also hypothesized [4]. Protease inhibitors (PI) used in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have no HCV reduction effect during the first months of treatment [5-8]. However, a decrease in HCV plasma load was recently described in patients treated with HAART for a year [9,10]. We therefore investigated the potential impact of HAART on intrahepatic HCV load.
Neau
D
D
Laboratoire de Virologie Systématique et Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France.
Trimoulet
P
P
Winnock
M
M
Le Bail
B
B
Schvoerer
E
E
Legrand
E
E
Ragnaud
J M
JM
Dupon
M
M
Fleury
H
H
Lafon
M E
ME
D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood
D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D012367:RNA, Viral