Anti-HIV treatment

HIV and hepatitis C

Liver disease is now one of the leading causes of serious illness and death in people with HIV.

Such liver disease is often caused by the serious viral infections, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. They can be caught in similar ways to HIV and many people with HIV are also infected with one or even both of these viruses. This is called coinfection.

Infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C can mean that the liver stops working properly. This can take many years. Gradually the liver hardens (fibrosis), and then develops scaring (cirrhosis), which can lead to the liver’s failure and death.

American researchers have found that fibrosis develops rapidly in people who have HIV and hepatitis C. They found that people with HIV/hepatitis whose liver function tests were abnormal had the greatest risk of fibrosis developing quickly.