The association between hepatitis C infection and prevalent cardiovascular disease among HIV-infected individuals

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between hepatitis C and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) among HIV-infected individuals. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the HIV-Longitudinal Interrelationships of Viruses and Ethanol (HIV-LIVE) cohort, a prospective cohort of HIV-infected individuals with current or past alcohol problems. METHODS: We analysed health questionnaire and laboratory data from 395 HIV-infected individuals (50.1% co-infected with hepatitis C) using logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of CVD among those co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV compared with those infected with HIV alone. RESULTS: The prevalence of CVD was higher among those co-infected with hepatitis C compared with those with HIV alone (11.1 versus 2.5%, respectively). After adjusting for age, the OR for the prevalence of CVD was significantly higher among those with hepatitis C co-infection (adjusted OR 4.65, 95% confidence interval 1.70-12.71). The relationship between hepatitis C and CVD persisted when adjusting for age and other sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, and cardiovascular risk factors in separate regression models. CONCLUSION: Co-infection with hepatitis C among a cohort of HIV-infected individuals was associated with a higher age-adjusted odds for the prevalence of CVD. These data suggest that hepatitis C infection may be associated with an increased risk of CVD among those co-infected with HIV.