Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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LIVER FUNCTION IN A COHORT OF YOUNG HIV-HBV CO-INFECTED PATIENTS ON LONG-TERM COMBINED ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY

ADELINA ROȘCA 1,2#, DIANA IACOB 3#, LUMINIȚA ENE 4, AURA TEMEREANCA 1,2, CAMELIA GRANCEA 2, CAMELIA SULTANA 1,2, CRISTIAN L. ACHIM 5, SIMONA RUȚĂ 1,2*

1.Virology Department, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Street, 050474, Bucharest, Romania
2.Viral Emerging Diseases Department, “Ștefan S. Nicolau” Institute of Virology, 285 Mihai Bravu Road, 030304, Bucharest, Romania
3.Infectious Diseases Department, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Street, 050474, Bucharest, Romania
4.HIV/AIDS Department, “Dr Victor Babeș” Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, 281 Mihai Bravu Road, 030303, Bucharest, Romania
5.Pathology Department, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA

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HIV-HBV co-infection was previously studied in patients older than 40 years of age, with added risk factors for liver disease. Data on progression of liver damage in young, co-infected patients, without associated comorbidities is sparse. We assessed the prevalence and stage of HBV co-infection in young individuals with parenterally acquired HIV infection and multiple previous antiretroviral (ART) treatments. Out of 227 patients (median age: 24 years, median duration of HIV infection: 23.9 years, median ART duration: 11.6 years), 61.7% had any markers of HBV infection, 53.6% were chronic HBsAg carriers, 9.3% had HBeAg present, 11.4% had high-levels of HBV DNA and 1.4% had severe liver fibrosis according to FIB-4 noninvasive score. HBV co-infected patients had longer ART exposure (147.07 vs. 121.3 months, p = 0.003) than those with HIVin the absence of HBV, with no significant differences in the use or duration of HIV-HBV dually-active antiretrovirals (lamivudine, tenofovir). Young HIV-HBV co-infected patients remain free of hepatic disease under ART.