Levinia Crooks, CEO ASHM
Clinical posts from members and guests of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) from various international medical and scientific conferences on HIV, AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexual health.
Hepatitis C: Warehousing a very risky business for co-infected
Cindy Zahnd reported on data modeled from the Swiss HIV and hepatitis C Cohort. Specifically the considered the impact of deferring treatment initiation in HIV-HCV co-infected patients. There was not difference starting in a month or 12 months. But treatment outcomes were heavily impacted by fibrosis score at treatment commencement. Delaying till F3 doubled the risk of disease progression and delaying till F4 saw a five fold increase.
Interestingly patients with F4 were more likely to have a serious or fatal liver event even after having had an SVR on treatment. This is probably because even though the virus was cleared irreversible damage was sustained. A salient message for clinicians and patients who might be waiting for the next best drug to come along.
You can view this and other coinfection oral presentations from the http://www.croiwebcasts.org/ it was session O-12 Curing hepatitis C: Mission accomplished