People with both HIV and the hepatitis B virus are 17 times more likely to die than those with hepatitis B alone, according to a study published in the Lancet. The two viruses are transmitted in similar ways--through unprotected sex, blood exposure or shared needles--and as many as 10 percent of those who have HIV are coinfected with hepatitis B.
In people with healthy immune systems, acute hepatitis usually resolves itself within six months, though up to a tenth of patients become chronic carriers, remaining contagious even when asymptomatic. While it can take many years before serious complications develop from the chronic condition, the study suggests that HIV increases the severity of hepatitis B infections.
"These results underscore the importance of prevention, treatment and comprehensive management of hepatitis B in people infected with HIV," says lead author Chloe Thio, M.D., an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.
The potential for HIV/ HBV coinfection reinforces the need for safer sex practices even between two HIV-positive partners. While there is a highly effective hepatitis B vaccine, extra doses may be necessary for those with weakened immune systems.
In a related story, the drug tenofovir was found to be a potent treatment for HBV in patients with HIV. The study, conducted at Washington University, was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
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