Hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus coinfection in Spain

In a cross-sectional study, based on a cohort composed of HIV-infected patients of fifteen tertiary level institutions of Spain, the main data of the entire cohort are described, characteristics of patients with or without hepatitis C coinfection are compared, and the possible association of hepatitis C virus coinfection with socioeconomic, HIV-related, and hepatitis B-related variables is assessed.

A total of 4,709 patients are studied. Median of age is 37 years, 78.3% are male. HIV risk behaviours are: parenteral drug use in 63.8% of patients, heterosexual in 22.3%, and homosexual in 10.8%. Serology of hepatitis C is positive in 69.2% of participants. The following variables are associated with increased prevalence of hepatitis C coinfection, both in univariate and in multivariate analysis: HIV risk behaviour, positive anti-HBs, longer time elapsed since HIV infection diagnosis, younger age, lower social status, lower CD4 cell count increase between nadir and last available result, and lower educational level (all P<0.001). Patients with heterosexual behaviour are more frequently coinfected than patients with homosexual behaviour (P<0.001).

This study highlights that, in Spain, more than two thirds of patients with HIV infection are coinfected with hepatitis C virus.