Histological and clinical characteristics of hepatitis C in HIV infected patients, in Brazil

Fifty HIV+/HCV+ patients (36 male, 14 female) were studied. Liver biopsy wa s performed in all 50 patients. Forty-one patients were also submitted to a bdominal ultrasound. Histological diagnoses were as follows: chronic persis tent hepatitis = 2;chronic lobular hepatitis = 2; chronic hepatitis with mi nimal or mild activity = 12; chronic hepatitis with moderate activity =20; chronic hepatitis with severe activity = 2; inespecific reactional hepatiti s = 10; cirrhosis with intense activity = 1. Forty-seven patients (94%) had abnormal ALT/AST levels. The mean CD4 count was 356 cells/mm. Twenty-four out 41 patients(58.5%) presented liver and /or spleen enlargement on abdomi nal ultrasound. Conclusions-1- Hepatitis C virus may determine relevant his topathological abnormalities in HIV infected patients; 2- In this group of patients there was no correlation between cellular immusupression (CD4 leve ls) and activity of hepatitis (measured by histologic alterations or transa minase levels).