Background: Drug hepatotoxicity is a potentially serious adverse reaction of antiretroviral therapy in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. The impact of this problem in the routine treatment of patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection is poorly defined.
Objectives: Our aim was to determine what clinical features are associated with hepatotoxicity in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Methods: Consecutive patients in a primary care-based human immunodeficiency virus clinic were evaluated for hepatotoxicity. Clinic records were used to obtain patient characteristics, as well as independent variables including CD4+ count, coexisting hepatitis C and current alcohol use.
Results: Sixty-five patients taking antiretroviral therapy were evaluated. Twenty-four were identified to have antiretroviral hepatotoxicity. An age over 40 years (P=0.019), an absolute CD4+ count of less than 310 cells/mL (P=0.002) and coexisting hepatitis C infection (P=0.035) were significantly associated with hepatotoxicity. Patients older than 40 years had a sevenfold increased risk (risk ratio, 6.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-27.3) and those with an absolute CD4+ count of less than 310 cells/mL had a tenfold increased risk (risk ratio, 10.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.5-41.9) for antiretroviral hepatotoxicity, in comparison with those who were younger or who had a greater absolute CD4+ count. Of the eight patients documented to have coexisting hepatitis C infection, six (75%) were in the antiretroviral hepatotoxicity group.
Conclusions: An age older than 40 years and an absolute CD4+ count of less than 310 cells/mL were significantly associated with antiretroviral-induced hepatotoxicity. The majority of our patients with chronic hepatitis C had hepatotoxicity from antiretroviral therapy.