The rate of fibrosis progression is initially rapid but subsequently seems to slow down.
Acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in HIV-positive individuals was once relatively rare but is now being reported with increasing frequency, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM; JW AIDS Clin Care Aug 8 2011). Whether these men experience accelerated liver fibrosis progression, as was suggested in one small study using liver biopsy results (J Infect Dis 2008; 198:683), is still unknown. In the present study, researchers examined the rate of fibrosis progression in this population, using transient elastography (TE), a noninvasive, ultrasound-based technique.
The study involved 38 HIV-positive men who had acute HCV infection identified between 2005 and 2011; most were enrolled retrospectively, and more than 90% were MSM. Near…