HIV Co-Infections with Hepatitis B and C

Abstract

With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients live longer and many have co-infections with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV) that complicates their care. Treatment of HBV and HCV in the HIV positive co-infected patient requires careful consideration of the timing of initiation of HAART treatment, drug-drug interactions and drug and immune effects. It is an exciting era due to the introduction of new medications available to treat both HBV and HCV infections. Knowledge of the complex interactions between these viruses as well as the effect of various treatment modalities on each virus is the key to understanding and treating these patients effectively