Casual Drinking can Lead to Liver Diseases in HIV, Hepatitis C Infected Patients: Study

Occasional and moderate intake of alcoholic drinks can lead to serious liver diseases in patients with HIV and Hepatitis C infections, according to a study.

Too much alcohol is known to cause fatal conditions like fatty liver, hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and other institutes found mild drinking elevates the chances for liver fibrosis, especially for individuals who have contracted both HIV and Hepatitis C infections (HCV).

They used data from the Veteran Aging Cohort study involving 701 patients with HIV and HCV, 1,410 HIV infected patients, 296 people with HCV and 1,158 healthy individuals to note the liver damage induced by alcohol. The study used Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) to determine the pattern of alcohol consumption by all participants and classified it as non-hazardous drinking, hazardous or binge drinking and alcohol-related diagnosis.

In all subjects, with or without HIV and HCV infections, it was observed that increased use of alcohol spiked the progression of hepatic fibrosis. Co-infected patients who indulged in heavy and light drinking were reported having very high impact compared to occasional drinking healthy participants. The findings revealed co-infected patients with non-hazardous drinking habit had 13 times susceptibility for advanced liver fibrosis than uninfected occasional drinkers. While, co-infected participants who previously indulged in hazardous or binge drinking and those with alcohol-related diagnosis were 17 and 21 times respectively, to suffer from liver damage.  

"We've shown a much greater risk for co-infected compared to uninfected persons at all levels of alcohol consumption-from nonhazardous drinking up to hazardous or binge drinking and abuse or dependence," said Vincent Lo Re III, study author and assistant professor of Medicine and Epidemiology in Pennsylvania University, in a press release.

Although the study could not  identify the exact reasons for the disease prevalence in co-infected group, the authors believe the viruses from both infections destroy the liver cells. Drinking alcohol can speed up this process and intake of antiretroviral drugs reacts with alcohol resulting in chronic liver fibrosis.

"This highlights how important it is for clinicians to be counseling co-infected patients on reducing alcohol consumption. More communication and education about the risks of alcohol may prompt patients to reduce drinking or quit altogether, which will help reduce the incidence of complications," said Lo Re.

More information is available online in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease.