Seroprevalence and effect of HBV and HCV co-infections on the immuno-virologic responses of adult HIV-infected persons on anti-retroviral therapy

Chronic hepatitis negatively affects persons living with HIV. While varying in their transmission efficiency, HIV, HBV, and HCV have shared routes of transmission. Available data suggest widely variable rates of HBV and HCV infections in HIV-infected populations across sub-Saharan Africa. With prolonged survival rates due to increased accessibility to antiretroviral drugs, HBV and HCV have the potential to complicate the prognosis of HIV co-infected patients by contributing significantly to continued morbidity and mortality. The study sought to determine the seroprevalence of HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV co-infections among HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy and to evaluate the effect of HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV co-infections on the immunologic and virologic responses of patients. A cross-sectional study in which samples were taken from 500 people living with HIV and attending ART clinic at the Fevers unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and tested for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV). CD4 cell counts and HIV-1 RNA levels were estimated as well. Data generated were analysed using IBM SPSS version 22. The seroprevalence of HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV co-infections among people living with HIV was 8.4% and 0.2% respectively. HIV/HBV coinfection included 15/42 (35.7%) males and 27/42 (64.3%) females out of which the majority (97.6%) were in the 21–60 years old bracket. HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV co-infections have varied effects on the immunological and virological response of HIV patients on ART. The mean CD cell count was 361.0 ± 284.0 in HIV/HBV co-infected patients and 473.8 ± 326.7 in HIV mono-infected patients. The mean HIV-1 RNA level was not significantly different (X(2) [df] = .057 [1]; P = .811) among HIV/HBV co-infected patients (Log(10)2.9±2.0 copies/mL), compared to that of HIV mono-infected patients (Log(10)2.8±2.1 copies/mL) although HIV mono-infected patients had lower viral load levels. One-third (14/42) of HIV/HBV co-infected patients had virologic failure and the only HIV/HCV co-infected patient showed viral suppression. 336/500 (67.2%) patients had HIV-1 viral suppression (females [66.1%]; males [33.9%]) while 164/500 (32.8%) had virologic failure (females [67.7%]; males [32.3%]). The mean CD4 count of patients with viral suppression and patients with virologic failure was 541.2 cells/μL (95% CI 508.5–573.8) and 309.9 cell/μL (95% CI 261.9–357.9) respectively.The study concludes that, HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV coinfections do not significantly affect the immunologic and virologic responses of patients who have initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy, and treatment outcomes were better in females than in males. There was no HBV/HCV co-infection among patients.