title: Evaluating liver fibrosis progression and the impact of antiretroviral therapy in HIV and hepatitis C coinfection using a noninvasive marker.
abstract: The effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on progression of hepatic fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection with HIV are not well understood and are difficult to measure because of the need for repeated liver biopsy. We evaluated the evolution of a noninvasive measure of liver fibrosis, the alanine aspartyl transferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), longitudinally and determined its predictive value for hepatic outcomes in HIV-positive patients with and without HCV coinfection. A total of 673 HIV-positive patients without liver complications at baseline (540 with HIV only, 133 with HIV-HCV coinfection) were followed between 1991 and 2004 for a median of 4.6 years (3524 person-years). At baseline, HIV-HCV coinfection had a higher median APRI compared with HIV infection alone (0.59 vs. 0.33; P < 0.0001). The natural logarithm of the APRI [ln(APRI)] changed significantly over time, particularly among patients with HIV-HCV coinfection. The baseline ln(APRI) was predictive of liver complications (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.5 to 6.4 per log), as was HCV (HR = 4.5, 95% CI: 1.5 to 14). Cumulative HAART did not protect against liver complications, although it was significantly associated with progression of APRI scores in HIV-HCV coinfection and in HIV alone. In conclusion, the APRI may be a useful marker for longitudinal evaluation of the progression of liver disease in HIV-HCV coinfection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Huda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Mohri
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Lalonde
authors.forename: Marina B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase