Liver transplantation in HIV/hepatitis co-infection

Abstract

The prognosis of HIV infection has dramatically improved in recent years with the introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy. Currently, liver disease is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality, even more so given the high rate of hepatitis C virus co-infection in countries where drug abuse has been an important HIV risk factor. Survival of HIV-co-infected patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) is poor and shorter than that of the non-HIV-infected population. One-year survival of HIV-infected patients with ESLD is only around 50-55%. HIV infection is no longer a contraindication to transplantation, which is becoming a standard therapy in most developed countries. The HIV criteria used to select HIV-infected patients for liver transplantation are quite similar in Europe and North America. Current criteria state that having had an opportunistic infection (e.g. tuberculosis, candidiasis, PCP) is not a strict exclusion criterion. However, patients must have a CD4 count above 100 cells/mm3 and a plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load that is suppressible with antiretroviral treatment. More than 200 orthotopic liver transplants (OLT) in HIV-infected patients have been published in recent years and the mid-term (3-year) survival was similar to that of HIV-negative patients. The main problems in the post-transplantation period are the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions between antiretroviral and immunosuppressive agents and the recurrence of HCV infection, which is the principal cause of post-transplantation mortality. There are controversial results regarding mid-term survival of HIV-HCV co-infected patients compared with HCV mono-infected patients. However, one study showed a trend of poorer 5-year survival of HIV-HCV co-infected patients. There is little experience with the treatment of recurrent HCV infection. Preliminary studies showed rates of sustained virological response ranging between 15% and 20% in HIV-HCV co-infected recipients. Liver transplantation in HIV-HBV co-infected patients had a good prognosis because HBV recurrence can be successfully prevented using immunoglobulins and anti-HBV drugs. Finally, this field is evolving continuously and the indications for liver transplantation or the management of HCV co-infection may change in the future as more evidence becomes available.