Reversibility of cirrhosis in HIV/HBV coinfection

Vincent O Mallet1, Valérie Dhalluin-Venier, Virginie Verkarre

  • 1Université Paris-Descartes, Paris, France. vincent.mallet@cch.aphp.fr

Antiviral Therapy
|May 17, 2007
PubMed

HIV infection worsens the course and the natural history of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) leading to rapid progression to cirrhosis and to end-stage liver disease. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens including nucleoside and/or nucleotide analogues with activity against both HIV reverse transcriptase and hepatitis B virus polymerase have clearly improved the survival rates of HIV/HBV-coinfected patients. How HAART beneficially affects the natural course of chronic hepatitis B in coinfected patients is not known. We report a biopsy-proven case of reversal of HBV-related cirrhosis in a coinfected patient, paralleling long-term suppression of HBV replication with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as part of a HAART. Pathological reversibility of cirrhosis was ascertained by normalization of biochemical (platelet count) and morphological (abdominal ultrasonography and gastrointestinal endoscopy) tests as well as non-invasive markers of fibrosis. In conclusion, a HAART regimen including tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in a HBV/HIV-coinfected cirrhotic patient might lead to sustained HBV viral suppression and result in cirrhosis reversal.

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