Differential influence of different hepatitis viruses on quality of life in HIV positive patients

HIV-infected individuals are frequently co-infected with different hepatitis viruses. HCV has been associated with impaired quality of life in non-HIV infected patients. Little is known concerning the quality of life in HIV-infected individuals in relation to the different viral co-infections. - Patients and Methods: We investigated 250 patients who have answered HIV-SELT and EuroQoL (EQ-5D) questionnaires assessing quality of life. Data on HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HCV, and GBV-C-RNA were available for 191, 188, 189, 98 patients, respectively. HCV-RNA was tested in 33 of 35 anti-HCV positive patients. - Results: There was no difference in quality of life in relation to active or past HBV-infection defined by HBsAg (n = 15) and anti-HBc in the absence of HBsAg (n = 84), respectively, for both overall HIV-SELT (p = 0.66, and p = 0.43, respectively) and visual EQ-5D (p = 0.93 and p = 0.64, respectively). However, anti-HCV positivity (n = 35) was associated with significantly impaired quality of life (HIV-SELT overall p<0.001). Importantly, no difference was found in relation to HCV-viraemia in anti-HCV positive patients (p = 0.77). In multivariate analysis anti-HCV positivity, employment status, HIV viral load and GBV-C were relevant to quality of life, with GBV-C being beneficial and HCV being negative. - Conclusions: While HBV seems to play no role concerning quality of live in HIV-infected patients, the flavi-viruses HCV and GBV-C display opposing influence on quality of life. As quality of life was similarly impaired in HCV-viraemic and HCV-non-viraemic anti-HCV positive patients but better in GBV-C viraemic patients, this should be taken into account in the indication case of planned interferon therapy.