Viruses (Jan 2023)

Factors Associated with Spontaneous Clearance of Recently Acquired Hepatitis C Virus among HIV-Positive Men in Brazil

  • Rosario Quiroga Ferrufino,
  • Camila Rodrigues,
  • Gerusa Maria Figueiredo,
  • Daniel Gleison,
  • Silvia Yapura,
  • Maria Laura Mariano de Matos,
  • Steven S. Witkin,
  • Maria Cássia Mendes-Correa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020314
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 2
p. 314

Abstract

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Introduction: The objective of the present study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of recently acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the frequency of its spontaneous clearance in a people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) cohort. Methods: We reviewed the medical records from all PLWH at the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outpatient reference clinic affiliated with the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and identified, by immunoassays and RNA-PCR individuals who acquired HCV infection between January 2015 and December 2017. The factors associated with subsequent spontaneous clearance of the infection in this group were identified and analyzed. Results: Among 3143 PLWH individuals, 362 (11.5%) were coinfected with HCV. Forty-eight (13.2%) of these subjects first became HCV-positive between January 2015 and December 2017. Spontaneous HCV clearance was documented in 23 individuals (47.9%). The majority of this latter group were male (83.3%), and the median age was 31 years (23–39). The main risk group for HCV acquisition was men who had sex with men (MSM) (89.5%). In a multivariate analysis, only an elevated CD4+ T lymphocyte count at the time of seroconversion was found to be associated with subsequent HCV clearance (p = 0.025). Conclusions: In HIV-infected individuals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, most cases of recent HCV transmission were by sexual exposure. In PLWH, particularly in MSM, the individual’s CD4+ T lymphocyte count is a determinant of whether an acquired HCV infection will be prolonged or will spontaneously clear.

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