The effect of concurrent human immunodeficiency virus infection on chronic hepatitis B: a study of 150 homosexual men.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1990. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

The effect of concurrent human immunodeficiency virus infection on chronic hepatitis B: a study of 150 homosexual men.

J Infect Dis. 1989 Oct;160(4):577-82. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/90010248
Bodsworth N; Donovan B; Nightingale BN; Department of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW Australia.

Abstract: To determine the influence of concurrent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 150 male homosexual chronic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers were studied. Of these, 82 subjects (55%) tested positive for antibodies to HIV. They were more likely to express hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) (P less than .001) and HBV-DNA (P less than .0005) in serum than were HIV-seronegative individuals. However, the degree of immune suppression did not influence HBeAg-HBV-DNA expression. In HBeAg-seropositive subjects, concurrent HIV infection was associated with lower serum alanine transferase levels (P less than .001). This effect increased with the degree of immune suppression as determined by CD4+ lymphocyte counts. Conversely, in patients negative for HBeAg, there was a weak trend towards higher alanine transferase levels with concurrent HIV. This study suggests that chronic hepatitis B may be less severe when accompanied by HIV infection; however, greater viral replication may make it more contagious and resistant to antiviral therapy. These data support an immune-mediated pathogenesis for hepatitis B and have implications for its control.

Keywords: Adult Alanine Aminotransferase/BLOOD Antigens, CD4/ANALYSIS Chronic Disease Cross-Sectional Studies CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/IMMUNOLOGY DNA Replication DNA, Viral/ANALYSIS Hepatitis B/*COMPLICATIONS/MICROBIOLOGY Hepatitis B e Antigens/ANALYSIS Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/ANALYSIS Hepatitis B Virus/GENETICS/PHYSIOLOGY Homosexuality Human HIV Antibodies/ANALYSIS HIV Infections/*COMPLICATIONS Male Middle Age Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Virus Replication JOURNAL ARTICLE
900130
M9010059

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