Worldwide 4-5 million people estimated to be living with chronic HIV/HCV coinfection.
HCV/HIV coinfection prevalence varies by mode of transmission: of HIV infected cohort 89% HCV prevalence among injection drug users, 14% among heterosexuals and 10% among men who have sex with men.
Rate of HCV increasing among HIV infected men having sex with men in recent years.
Rates of health care utilization and disability related to HIV/HCV coinfection estimated to be 70% higher than rates for HIV without HCV.
HCV/HIV coinfection associated with decreased responsiveness to treatment and increased disease progression rates.
Likelihood of achieving sustained virologic response lower among patients with HCV/HIV coinfection than w associated with accelerated ith HCV infection alone.
HCV/HIV coinfection associated with accelerated fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and end stage liver disease.
Coinfection occurs frequently in persons infected with HIV and hepatitis C virus because of shared routes of acquisition.
The presence of HCV infection in HIV patients is associated with an increased risk of death compared with those with HIV mono infection.
HCV confected persons have an 85% greater risk of death.
HCV related liver disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in coinfected patients due to more rapid progression of liver disease with concurrent HIV infection.
In the era of effective ART patients co-infected with HIV/HCV are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality compared to patients who have HIV infection alone.
There is a graded risk in the increasing association between baseline liver fibrosis stage and incidence of clinical events in 638 co-infected adults followed prospectively (Limketkai BN et al).