Effect of liver fibrosis on long-term mortality in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected individuals who are evaluated to receive interferon therapies in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era.

The factors associated with overall mortality and liver decompensation in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients who are evaluated to receive HCV antiviral therapy with a known liver histological fibrosis stage were evaluated in a prospective cohort study. A total of 387 consecutive HIV/HCV-coinfected patients attending an outpatient clinical unit between January 1997 and December 2007 who fulfilled criteria to be treated with interferon and to whom liver biopsy was performed were included and followed every 6 months from time of liver biopsy to death or to December 2008. The follow-up period was 6.2 years (IQR: 3.5-9.2). The median age at time of liver biopsy was 38 years. This included 73% men; 28% had advanced liver fibrosis (F3-F4) and a CD4 cell count of 556 cells/mm(3), 72% had HIV RNA <400 copies/ml and a mean CD4 nadir of 207 cell/mm(3), 21% had a previous diagnosis of AIDS, and 92% were on antiretroviral therapy. During follow-up 48% underwent HCV antiviral therapy, with a sustained virological response in 33%. The overall mortality rate and the incidence of liver decompensation or liver-related death were 1.17 and 0.72 per 100 patients-year, respectively. End stage liver disease (9/28 patients) and non-AIDS-related cancer (6/28) were the main causes of death. F3-F4 (HR: 3.74, 95% CI: 1.69-8.26, p=0.001) and previous AIDS diagnosis (HR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.36-6.81) were the factors independently associated with death. Mortality rates in patients who received and who did not receive HCV antiviral therapy were 0.44 and 2.04 per 100 patients-year, respectively (p=0.003). In addition to the low mortality rate observed, HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with poor predictors of survival are candidates for intensive clinical management.