Analysis of noninvasive methods in chronic hepatitis/human immunodeficiency virus mono- and co-infected patients with advanced fibrosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of advanced fibrosis (F3/F4) using noninvasive methods [elastography, Fibrosis-4 (FIB4), and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI)] before and after treatment with new direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV), both in cases of co-infection (HCV/HIV) and single infection (HCV).

Methods: This is a longitudinal study involving patients with HCV who are co-infected with HIV, who initiated HCV treatment between a positive anti-HCV test for more than 6 months and detectable HCV RNA. The control group consisted of patients with HCV infection without HIV co-infection, who received treatment during the same period as the co-infected patients.

Results: A total of 75 co-infected and 87 mono-infected HCV patients were eligible. Before treatment, elastography and FIB4 methods showed a strong agreement (0.73), while after treatment, the agreement was moderate (0.58). Between elastography and APRI, a strong agreement was observed before treatment (0.66) and fair/weak agreement after treatment (0.30). Both FIB4 and APRI showed perfect agreement at both time points with values above 0.9 (0.97 for pretreatment and 0.92 for posttreatment). The use of DAAs was associated with high rates of sustained virological response and reduction in fibrosis degrees in the posttreatment period, as assessed through biomarkers and hepatic elastography.

Conclusion: The utilization of biomarkers in clinical practice for assessing hepatic fibrosis is an essential tool. Thus, for an accurate evaluation of hepatic fibrosis, particularly after HCV treatment, the use of elastography, rather than biomarkers alone, is more appropriate.