Correlation between HIV viral load and aminotransferases as liver damage markers in HIV infected naive patients: a concordance cross-sectional study.
Abnormalities in liver function tests could be produced exclusively by direct inflammation in hepatocytes, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Mechanisms by which HIV causes hepatic damage are still unknown. Our aim was to determine the correlation between HIV viral load, and serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as markers of hepatic damage in HIV naive infected patients. We performed a concordance cross-sectional study. Patients with antiviral treatment experience, hepatotoxic drugs use or co-infection were excluded. We used a Pearson's correlation coefficient to calculate the correlation between aminotransferases serum levels with HIV viral load. We enrolled 59 patients, 50 men and 9 women seen from 2006 to 2008. The mean (+/- SD) age of our subjects was 34.24 +/- 9.5, AST 37.73 +/- 29.94 IU/mL, ALT 43.34 +/- 42.41 IU/mL, HIV viral load 199,243 +/- 292,905 copies/mL, and CD4+ cells count 361 +/- 289 cells/mm(3). There was a moderately strong, positive correlation between AST serum levels and HIV viral load (r = 0.439, P < 0.001); and a weak correlation between ALT serum levels and HIV viral load (r = 0.276, P = 0.034); after adjusting the confounders in lineal regression model the correlation remained significant. Our results suggest that there is an association between HIV viral load and aminotransferases as markers of hepatic damage; we should improved recognition, diagnosis and potential therapy of hepatic damage in HIV infected patients.
Mata-Marín
José Antonio
JA
Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital de Infectología, "La Raza" National Medical Center, IMSS, Mexico City, México. jamatamarin@gmail.com
Gaytán-Martínez
Jesús
J
Grados-Chavarría
Bernardo Horacio
BH
Fuentes-Allen
José Luis
JL
Arroyo-Anduiza
Carla Ileana
CI
Alfaro-Mejía
Alfredo
A
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase