title: GB virus C infection and quality of life in HIV-positive patients.
abstract: It was recently shown that GBV-C infection is associated with prolonged survival of HIV-infected individuals. The GB virus C is the closest known relative of hepatitis C virus in man. The latter has been associated with significant impairment in quality of life, independent from the associated liver disease. We were thus interested in the impact of GB virus C infection on quality of life in HIV-infected individuals. We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of HIV-positive patients who previously answered the 'HIV-SELT' and the 'EQ-5D' questionnaires assessing quality of life and for whom data on GB virus C RNA status were available. In this study we identified no adverse effect of GB virus C on quality of life, but, in contrast, GB virus C viraemic patients showed better quality of life in all parameters for the scores in comparison to GB virus C-negative HIV-infected patients. HIV-positive patients with a GB virus C infection showed superior quality of life. These data further support the favourable course of HIV disease in GB virus C-positive patients.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany. hans.tillmann@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Tillmann
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Manns
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Claes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heiken
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoll
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D029407:GB virus C; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires