Prevalence of Coinfection with HBV and HCV among HIV Patients in a General Hospital in Lima, Peru

Abstract

Purpose: The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) led to sharp drop of immunodeficiency related opportunistic infections, although short- and long-term liver toxicity of antiretroviral agents added to chronic HBV or HCV infection have resulted in a significant increase of liver-related complications amongst HIV-infected patients. Coinfection by hepatotropic viruses and the human immunodeficiency virus are frequent given the shared routes of transmission (sexual, mother-to-child and parenteral). The prevalence of HBV or HCV infection in HIV-infected population varies among different population, our aim is to determine our prevalence in a university general hospital in Peru. Methods: We studied 349 new HIV-positive patients confirmed by ELISA and Western Blot, who were attended in our Tropical Medicine Institute in Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia (Lima-Peru) between January 2004 and December 2004. All serum patients were tested for HBsAg and HCV-antibodies with commercial assays according to the manufacturers' instructions. Results: During 2004, 349 HIV-positive patients were tested. 26 (7.45%) patients were HBsAg-positive. 11 (3.15%) patients were HCV antibody positive, and only 1 (0.29%) patient were both HBsAg-positive, HCV antibody positive. Sexual contact were the main way of HIV acquisition. Conclusions: There are almost no available data on prevalence of coinfection HIV and HBV, HCV in Latin America. In our hospital, coinfection HIV-HBV was 7.45%, therefore there is no difference between this prevalence and EuroSIDA cohort prevalence (9%). Coinfection HIV-HCV in our hospital is only 3.15%, that is less than other cohorts as EuroSIDA cohort 33%, Spain cohort 23% and data in drug-users 75%. In the author's resources-limited setting, the low prevalence of endovenous drugs users could be an explanation.