Commentary
Emerging Challenges in the Management of HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection in Veterans
Fed Pract. 2008 March;25(3):12
Author(s):
Tien PC
Author and Disclosure Information
Phyllis C. Tien, MD
Dr. Tien is a staff physician in the infectious disease section of the San Francisco VA Medical Center and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, both in San Francisco, CA. She was the lead author of the VA's recommendations for managing and treating hepatitis C virus infection in HIV-infected adults.
Twenty-five years into the HIV epidemic, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the HIV-infected patient continues to pose unique and important challenges to health care providers and their patients. Between one-third and one-half of all veterans infected with HIV are coinfected with HCV--a proportion that is higher than that reported for other national samples.(1) As the largest single provider of medical care to people with both HCV and HIV in the United States, as well as the nation's leader in HCV screening, testing, and treatment, the VA is in a remarkable position to tackle the challenge of HIV-HCV coinfection.(2,3)