International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 19, Number 11 > Pp. 780-781

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Alanine aminotransferase levels are not significantly elevated in patients with HIV/HBV co-infection and lamivudine resistance

D Bhattacharya MD ^*   , D Katzenstein MD ^*, A Wong , D Israelski MD ^* , J C Imperial MD  ^**, E B Keeffe MD ^** and R M Donovan PhD 

^* Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305; San Mateo Clinical AIDS Program, San Mateo, CA 94305; Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Laboratory, Department of Health Services, Richmond, 94804; ^** Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford 94304, USA

Correspondence to: Debika Bhattacharya, Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 37-121 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA Email: debikab{at}mednet.ucla.edu

In hepatitis B virus (HBV) monoinfection, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are linearly correlated with HBV DNA levels and lamivudine resistance. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HBV co-infection, little is known about the association between ALT, HBV DNA, and lamivudine resistance. We assessed HBV DNA, lamivudine resistance and ALT levels in 45 time points in 11 patients with HIV/HBV co-infection during lamivudine-containing antiretroviral therapy. High HBV DNA levels (>10⁶ copies/mL) and lamivudine resistance developed in 45% and 91% of patients, respectively. However, ALT levels were not elevated in the setting of high HBV DNA levels (mean ALT, 48 IU/mL) or lamivudine resistance (mean ALT, 44 IU/mL). HBV viraemia and lamivudine resistance during extended lamivudine-containing antiretroviral therapy are common in HIV/HBV co-infection, occurring in the absence of significant ALT elevations. In HIV/HBV co-infection, measurement of HBV DNA and HBV resistance mutations may identify HBV virological failure before biochemical changes and should be routinely used in the management of HIV/HBV co-infection.

Key Words: HIV infection • highly active antiretroviral therapy • hepatitis B infection • hepatitis B drug resistance • lamivudine

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