Role of viral kinetics under HCV therapy in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.
Patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are less responsive to anti-HCV therapies and are at a higher risk of toxicity than HCV monoinfected patients. HCV viral kinetics is the basis for the study of response to interferon-based therapy and for predicting sustained virological response (SVR). A lack of early virological response (EVR; undetectable HCV RNA or a decrease of >/=2 log(10) from baseline) after 12 weeks of pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) is an equally reliable predictor of lack of SVR in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients and in the monoinfected HCV population. Early stopping rules are particularly important in coinfected HIV/HCV patients, considering their low chances of response in the more difficult-to-treat HCV genotypes 1 and 4 (<30%). Several factors have been involved in this low efficacy, including higher baseline HCV viraemia, slower viral kinetics decay under interferon pressure and a defective immune substratum. A better understanding of HCV viral kinetics under HCV therapy may be the basis for assaying different peg-IFN plus RBV schedules, such as induction or extending strategies, and may help physicians to make tailored decisions for the management of their patients.
Ballesteros
Angel Luis
AL
HIV Clinical Unit, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Fuster
Daniel
D
Planas
Ramon
R
Clotet
Bonaventura
B
Tural
Cristina
C
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral