title: Acute hepatitis C in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): the "real-life setting" proves the concept.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Outbreaks of sexually transmitted acute HCV infection have been described recently in several cities in the western world. The epidemic affects mainly MSM who are coinfected with HIV and is supposably linked to certain sexual risk practices. Here, we compared our findings with current knowledge and recommendations.
  
  
  METHODS
  HIV-positive patients with the diagnosis of acute HCV infection were included in the retrospective analysis. The patients came from outpatient infectious disease centers in northern German cities. We looked at markers of HIV and HCV infection and compared patients who received treatment and those who did not. Treated patients were followed up to 72 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred nineteen HIV-positive patients with the diagnosis of acute hepatitis C between 2001 and 2008 and were included in the analysis. All patients were male, 315 (99%) patients were of caucasian origin, 296 (93%) declared homosexual contacts as a risk factor for HCV infection, intravenous drug use was declared in 3 (1%) cases. Median age at HCV diagnosis was 40 years (range 20-69 years). Median HCV viral load was 1.2 x 106 IU/mL, 222 patients (70%) had HCV genotype 1, 59 (18%) genotype 4. The median time of HIV infection was 5.5 years (range 0 to 22.4 years). Median HIV viral load was 110 copies/mL (range 25 to 10x106 copies/mL). The median CD 4 count was 461 cells/mm3 (range 55-1331 cells/mm3). Two hundred and fourty-six patients (77%) received anti-HCV treatment, and 175 (55%) had completed therapy by the time of the analysis. Median treatment duration was 33 weeks (IQR 24.1-49.9). 93 of the 175 treated patients (53%) reached a sustained virological response (SVR). In the multivariate analysis, ART at diagnosis, HCV RNA drop at week 12, hemoglobin levels and higher platelets were associated with SVR. Treatment duration was significantly higher in the SVR group (40.6 weeks vs 26.6 weeks, p<0.0001). Seventy-three patients (23%) did not receive anti-HCV treatment. In 19 of the untreated patients (26%) the hepatitis C virus was cleared spontaneously.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings confirm that acute hepatitis C in HIV infected patients affects mainly MSM who acquire HCV sexually. Patients had a short duration of HIV infection and a stable immunological situation. In this real-life setting from urban regions in northern Germany, treatment rates appear to be high and effective.
authors: Medical Center for Infectious Diseases (MIB), Seestr. 13, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Obermeier
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Ingiliz
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Weitner
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Cordes
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Moll
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Hintsche
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Schlote
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Koeppe
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Christensen
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Mayr
authors: Axel
authors: A
authors: Baumgarten
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies