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Liver & Kidney Disease

IAS 2011: Transplants Safe for HIV+ People but HCV Adds Risk

Kidney and Liver transplants can be safe and effective for people living with HIV. However hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection and several other factors may make such procedures more risky. alt

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Liver Fibrosis Common in HIV+ People without Viral Hepatitis

Non-invasive blood tests indicate that people with HIV have a significant risk of liver fibrosis progression even if they do not have hepatitis B or C coinfection.

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Kidney Function Remains Stable among French HIV Patients on Long-term Antiretroviral Therapy

Kidney function has remained stable among patients on long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to findings from a large French study described in the December 15, 2009 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR, a common measure of kidney function) improved slightly during the first year and a half of treatment, then decreased back to the baseline level and remained steady thereafter. Indinavir (Crixivan) was linked to poorer kidney function, but not tenofovir (Viread).

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People with HIV Have Higher Rate of Severe Liver Disease, Antiretroviral Therapy Cuts Risk

People with HIV have a higher rate of both fatal and non-fatal liver failure compared with HIV negative individuals, according to a large analysis of members of the Kaiser Permanente health system presented this week at the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) in Vienna. The risk of liver failure increased as CD4 cell count rose -- an association seen even at high CD4 levels -- and antiretroviral therapy appeared to have a protective effect.

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Antiretroviral Therapy Is Not Responsible for Unexplained Liver Disease in HIV Patients without Viral Hepatitis Coinfection

Since illness and deaths due to opportunistic infections have fallen dramatically in the era of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), liver disease has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people with HIV. In many cases, this is associated with chronic hepatitis B or C virus (HBV, HCV) coinfection or heavy alcohol consumption, but some individuals have unexplained, or "cryptogenic," liver disease. Another potential cause of liver problems in people with HIV is hepatotoxic side effects of antiretroviral treatment. But a recent study by researchers at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in the U.K. did not observe this association, according to a letter to the editor in the April 2009 Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

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