One million people are infected with the AIDS virus (HIV) and 4 million
people are infected with the
Hepatitis
C virus in the United States. Hepatitis C infections are currently
the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. Scientists
don't foresee a bright future. Many people are carrying the virus
around in their livers and don't even know it. Hepatitis C virus infection
typically takes 2-3 decades before it starts causing significant liver
damage. The most common means of getting Hepatitis C virus infections is
via needle sharing by intravenous drug users.
Around 350,000 patients are infected with both HIV and Hepatitis C viruses.
The fact that people were coinfected with both viruses was not a big problem
before combination therapy for AIDS was initiated. HIV infected patients
typically would die of AIDS before the Hepatitis C infection had time to
destroy their liver. With the advent of combination therapy for AIDS physicians
are seeing patients die not of AIDS but of their Hepatitis C virus infections.
It also has been shown that disease in patients with both viral infections
progresses more rapidly than in patients with just one of these viral infections.
The Hepatitis C virus is causing liver damage and so do some drugs used
to treat the HIV infection. These dual causes of liver damage make it very
difficult to treat patients for the HIV infection.
To see if treatment of the Hepatitis C infection and HIV infection could
be given at the same time researchers at The
Cabrini Institute for Virologic Care gave treatments for both viral
infections to patients infected with both of these viruses. These patients
were given interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin to treat the Hepatitis C infection
and combination therapy for the HIV infection. When evaluated a year later
the researchers found that both viruses were at undetectable levels
in the patient's blood. This is a great finding. They did not cure these
patients. Many studies have demonstrated that viral levels in the blood
rise again once drug therapy is stopped.
This will however help patients with both of these viral infections
to live longer and better lives. This work also confirms previous work
that the combination therapy (interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin) for Hepatitis
C virus is better in treating Hepatitis C infections than just using
interferon alfa-2b alone.
Click on the links below for more information on:
Hepatitis
C
The
HIV and Hepatitis C combination therapy study
Take Care and Think Microbiologically!
