[987] PREVALENCE OF HIV AND HCV CO-INFECTION AMONG DRUG USERS

2nd International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment

Paris, France - July 13 - 16, 2003

[TITLE:] PREVALENCE OF HIV AND HCV CO-INFECTION AMONG DRUG USERS

[AUTHOR(S):] NR Birowo¹, Z Djoerban² and S Djauzi³
¹University of Indonesia School of Medicine, Jakarta, Indonesia; ²Division of Haematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Indonesia School of Medicine/Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia; and ³Division of Allergy Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Indonesia School of Medicine/ Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia

IAS Conf HIV Pathog Treat 2003 Jul 13-16;2nd: Abstract No. 987
Antiviral Therapy 2003; 8(Suppl. 1):S463

[ABSTRACT:] Background: There was a steep increase of HIV/AIDS cases coming from drug users in Indonesia since middle of 1999. Co-infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common in HIV-positive patients, presumably due to the shared route of transmission of these viruses. Injecting drug use is the most common way that people become infected by HIV and also by HCV. HCV and HIV co-infection has led to some serious medical problems like the change of the natural history of the diseases and more complicated treatment. The objective of this study was to get information about the prevalence of hepatitis C and HIV co-infection among drug users.

Methods: A survey study was performed on January–December 2002 at the Laboratory of Immunology, Division of Haematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta. All new HIV-positive patients coming from drug users who came to perform CD4 count and/or viral load examination was included to this survey.

Results: Of 162 new HIV-positive patients, 119 were drug users, most of them (92%) were men. Sixty-five percent of the drug user patients were 15–24 years old, 34% were 25–34 years old and only 2% were 35–44 years old. Co-infection with hepatitis C is founded in 74 (62%) patients.

Conclusion: HCV co-infection is common in HIV-positive patients. The clinicians who give antiretroviral therapy to these patients have to be concerned about the side effects of combining antiretroviral drugs and drugs for treating hepatitis C.

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