title: Immune restoration in human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus coinfected patients after highly active antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the influence of hepatitis C virus on immunological and virological responses after highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation in human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfected patients compared to monoinfected human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study enrolled 65 human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected subjects who initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy and attended follow-up visits over 48 weeks from 2008 to 2010. They were grouped based on hepatitis C virus-RNA results. Virological and immunological responses were monitored at baseline and at the end of weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 35 human immunodeficiency virus monoinfected and 30 human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfected patients. In the present study human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfection did not seem to influence CD4 T-lymphocytes recovery. There was no difference between the curves of CD4 T-lymphocytes raise of coinfected and monoinfected groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This prospective study confirms that hepatitis C virus infection does not seem to be associated with impaired CD4 T-lymphocytes recovery after HAART.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control, Hospital Fêmina, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Post-graduation Course in Hepatology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: vicente_antonello@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Vicente Sperb
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Antonello
authors.forename: Marcelo Campos
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Appel-da-Silva
authors.forename: Dimas Alexandre
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kliemann
authors.forename: Breno Riegel
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Cristiane Valle
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Tovo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D060085:Coinfection / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: CD4; Coinfection; HAART; HIV; Hepatitis C; Immunological response