Nearly 20% of HIV patients infected with hepatitis C

Asian Economic News, Dec 13, 2004

TOKYO, Nov. 29 Kyodo

Nearly 20 percent of the HIV patients in Japan are also infected with the hepatitis C virus or HCV, while almost all of the HIV patients infected through blood products are infected with the HCV, according to results of a health ministry survey obtained by Kyodo News.

The survey by a study group of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry was conducted in January and covered major HIV/AIDS treatment facilities nationwide of which 176 or 48 percent responded. The survey covered 4,877 HIV patients treated at the 176 facilities.

Of 811 HIV patients infected through tainted blood products, 786, or 96.9 percent, tested positive in an antibody test for HCV, the survey showed.

It also showed that 19.2 percent of all the HIV patients surveyed also tested HCV-positive.

Of 20 HIV patients infected through sharing needles used in drug injection, nine, or 45 percent, tested HCV-positive, while 4.2 percent of the 2,730 HIV patients infected through male-to-male sexual contact were HCV-positive.

The main source of HCV infection is blood contact. There are an estimated 1.5 million people with HCV in Japan.

People infected with HCV may develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer unless appropriately treated.

Currently, the onset of AIDS is brought under control by combining a number of medications in the early stages of infection, but more than half of the HIV patients are dying due to hepatic disease such as liver cirrhosis, some surveys show.

Kazuhiko Koike, a professor at the University of Tokyo's medical department who led the ministry survey, said, ''It's important to let doctors and patients know of the treatment of hepatitis and take emergency action against the disease as the hepatitis symptoms of HIV patients tend to deteriorate rapidly. We shouldn't think lightly of such patients' symptoms of hepatitis by paying attention only to HIV.''

According to a survey by the Japanese AIDS Foundation for AIDS Prevention, annual deaths of HIV patients decreased to 11 in 2002 after peaking at 69 in 1994. Of those who died in 2002, no patients showed AIDS symptoms while six died of hepatitis.