Progression of liver fibrosis in monoinfected patients by hepatitis C virus and coinfected by HCV and human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract

Context - The progression of liver fibrosis in patients coinfected by hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HCV/HIV) has been increasingly studied in the past decade. Studies made before the highly active antiretroviral therapy suggest that HIV can change the natural history of the HCV infection, leading to a faster progression of the liver fibrosis. Objective - To evaluate and compare the fibrosis progression in two groups of patients (HCV/HIV coinfected and HCV monoinfected) Methods - Seventy patients HCV monoinfected and 26 patients HCV/HIV coinfected who had not undertaken HCV treatment and were submitted to serial percutaneous liver biopsies were retrospectively evaluated. There was no difference in the fibrosis progression between the two groups. Conclusion - The fibrosis grade evolution was not worse in the coinfected patients. The immunosuppression absence and the shortest time period between the biopsies in the coinfected group are possible explanations.