title: Characteristics of hepatitis C virus infection in HIV-infected people.
abstract: Knowledge pertaining to hepatitis C virus (HCV)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection is currently incomplete or conflicting. Several points are well studied, however. Plasma HCV RNA levels are higher in matched HIV-infected people than in HIV-seronegative control subjects and are inversely correlated with CD4(+) T lymphocyte counts. HCV genotype does not appear to influence this value. Co-infected individuals develop histological and clinical features of HCV liver disease more rapidly than HIV-seronegative patients. Co-infected individuals appear to respond to interferon-alpha therapy equally as well as HIV-seronegative HCV-infected adults, but minimal information exists regarding the efficacy and toxicity of combination HCV therapy (interferon-alpha plus ribavirin) in this population. Adverse consequences of highly active antiretroviral therapy in co-infected patients include hepatic toxicity and, in a minority of patients, an 'immune restoration syndrome'. It is unclear whether long term, highly active antiretroviral therapy positively or negatively influences the natural history of HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Ottawa Hospital General Campus, Ottawa, Ontario;
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Badley
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Angel