Poorly Controlled HIV Infection: An Independent Risk Factor for Liver Fibrosis

BACKGROUND:

Liver disease is a major cause of mortality among HIV-infected persons. There is limited information about the extent to which HIV disease severity impacts liver disease progression.

METHODS:

We determined the incidence and predictors of advanced hepatic fibrosis measured by the FIB-4 index (≥3.25) in a large diverse population of HIV-infected patients without significant liver disease at baseline (FIB-4<1.45) in care between January 2000 and March 2014. We used Cox proportional hazards analysis to examine factors associated with progression to FIB-4 ≥3.25.

RESULTS:

Among 14,198 HIV-infected patients, HCV coinfection (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.9, 95% CI 1.6-2.1), HBV coinfection (aHR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-1.8), alcohol use disorder (aHR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.6) and diabetes (aHR 1.9, 95% CI 1.6-2.3) were associated with progression to advanced fibrosis in multivariable analysis. In addition, patients at each lower level of time-varying CD4 count had a significantly greater risk of progression, with a nearly 7-fold higher risk in those with CD4 <100 cells/mm (aHR 6.9, 95% CI 5.8-8.3) compared with CD4 ≥500 cells/mm. An increasing gradient of risk was also observed among patients with higher time-varying HIV viral load (VL), with the greatest risk noted with VL ≥100,000 copies/ml (aHR 2.6, 95% CI 2.2-3.1) compared with VL <500 copies/ml.

CONCLUSION:

Lower CD4 count and higher HIV VL were significantly associated with progression to advanced hepatic fibrosis in a dose-dependent manner, independent of the risk associated with traditional factors: HCV or HBV coinfection, alcohol, and diabetes. Our findings suggest that early treatment of HIV infection could mitigate liver disease.

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By:  Kim HN1, Nance R, Van Rompaey S, Delaney JC, Crane HM, Cachay ER, Geng E, Boswell SL, Rodriguez B, Eron J, Saag M, Moore RD, Kitahata MM.

• 1Department of Medicine, University of Washington 
• 2 Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington 
• 3 Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego 
• 4 Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco 
• 5 Fenway Health, Boston MA 
• 6 Department of Medicine, Case Western University 
• 7 Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill 
• 8 Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham 
• 9 Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University.
• J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2016 Mar 16. 

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