Does HCV Make HIV Worse?
A recent Swiss study showed that co-infected people had a higher risk of progression to AIDS and death despite the use of HAART, implying that HCV may be a co-factor in HIV disease progression. Several studies have shown that co-infected people do not gain as many CD4 cells after beginning HIV treatment compared to those with HIV alone. A Spanish study, for example, found that after two years of HAART, co-infected people gained an average of 53 CD4 cells, while those with HIV alone gained an average of 111 CD4 cells. A study at Johns Hopkins followed a group of co-infected people from January of 1996 until June 2000 and saw similar results. In addition, the Hopkins study found that co-infected people with CD4 cell counts between 50 and 200 progressed to death more quickly than those with HIV alone. However, other studies of co-infected people have not seen a difference in survival rates. Since so many factors can contribute to both HIV and HCV disease progression, further research is n
