Viral hepatitis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus

ABSTRACT

From 1992 to 1995 we studied 232 (69 percent male, 87 percent Caucasian) anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV) positive Brazilian patients, through a questionnaire; HIV had been acquired sexually by 50 percent, from blood by 32 percent, sexually and/or from blood by 16.4 percent and by an unknown route by 1.7 percent. Intravenous drug use was reported by 29 percent; it was the most important risk factor for HIV transmission. The alanine aminotransferase quotient (qALT) was >1 for 40 percent of the patients, 93.6 percent had anti-hepatitis A virus antibody, 5.3 percent presented hepatitis B surface antigen, 44 percent were anti-hepatitis B core antigen positive and 53.8 percent were anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) positive. The anti-HCV test showed a significant association with qALT>1. Patients for whom the probable HIV transmission route was blood had a 10.8 times greater risk of being anti-HCV positive than patients infected by other routes. Among 30 patients submitted to liver biopsy, 18 presented chronic hepatitis