By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With the increasing death toll due to Hepatitis B, C and HIV, medical practitioners on Saturday expressed concern over the prevalence of a new diseases emerging out of HIV+ Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) & C (HCV) Co-Infection.
Citing this as a challenge, medical experts mentioned that this disease could be chronic if not detected in time leading to all kind of illness.
“There are around 15 million people living with Hepatitis B all over the world and over 34.2 million live with HIV till 2011. “In 2011 alone, over 1.7 million people die of AIDS all over the world despite the all efforts to curb and cure this disease”, a Professor of the School of Tropical Medicine-Kolkata, Dr (Prof) SK Guha said.
Dr Guha was addressing a medical seminar on “Management of HIV+ Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) & C Co-Infection” organised by the Meghalaya Medical Services Association (MMSA) in collaboration with Zydus Cadila Health Care Ltd at Hotel Pinewood here on Saturday.
Giving a detail presentation on the management of HIV+ Hepatitis B (HBV) & C Co-Infection, Dr Guha said that the infants who are infected by HBV through their parents is very high and the chances of chronicity in them is more than 90 percent higher than the normal adults.
Referring to an article produced on the co-infection of HIV and HBV in 2005, Dr Guha said though it was then found out to be negative, however, new studies have revealed that the two viruses are co-infected causing high risk to a patient.
Stating that the disease is more susceptible in HIV patients, he said, “Risk of co-infection depends on patient’s age of acquisition of both viruses and there is high rate of spontaneous clearance HBV (90 %) in immunocompetent adults while chronic infection is 20 – 40 % in HIV positive adults.” Highlighting on the goals of therapy of chronic hepatitis B, he said that ideal and most ambitious goal is to achieve clearance, maximum and durable HBV suppression and to reduce inflammation, to stop or delay progression of fibrosis thereby preventing development of end-stage complications like cirrhosis, HIV and liver related death.
Naming a few drugs performing dual activity against both the virus like Lamivudine (3TC), Dr Guha said the monotherapy with 3TC is associated with High HBV resistance and withdrawal of dually active agents may precipitate ‘flare’ leading to severe active exacerbation of Hepatitis.
Meanwhile, mentioning about Chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Dr Guha said the HIV/HCB co-infection is also prevalent in the North eastern states of India and it is usually transmitted through blood or blood products leading to liver disease progression.