Date Published:
2015 Jan 20

Publication Type:
Journal Article

Authors:

D.B. Clifford
F. Vaida
Yting Kao
D. Franklin
S. Letendre
A.C. Collier
C.M. Marra
B. Gelman
J.C. McArthur
S. Morgello
D.M. Simpson
I. Grant
R.K. Heaton

Secondary:
Neurology

Volume:
84

Pagination:
241-50

Issue:
3

PMID:
25503616

URL:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25503616

DOI:
10.1212/WNL.0000000000001156

Keywords:
Adult;Anti-HIV Agents;CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes;CHARTER;Cognition Disorders;Cohort Studies;Female;Hepacivirus;Hepatitis C;HIV;HIV Infections;Humans;Internal;Male;Middle Aged;Neuropsychological Tests;Serologic Tests;United States;Viral Load

Abstract:
<p>OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) on neurocognitive performance in chronically HIV-infected patients enrolled in the CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) study.METHODS: A total of 1,582 participants in CHARTER who were tested for HCV antibody underwent neurocognitive testing; serum HCV RNA was available for 346 seropositive patients. Neurocognitive performance was compared in 408 HCV-seropositive and 1,174 HCV-seronegative participants and in a subset of 160 seropositive and 707 seronegative participants without serious comorbid neurologic conditions that might impair neurocognitive performance, using linear regression and taking into account HIV-associated and demographic factors (including IV drug use) and liver function.RESULTS: Neurocognitive performance characterized by global deficit scores and the proportion of individuals who were impaired were the same in the HCV-seropositive and HCV-seronegative groups. In univariable analyses in the entire sample, only verbal domain scores showed small statistically different superior performance in the HCV+ group that was not evident in multivariable analysis. In the subgroup without significant comorbidities, scores in all 7 domains of neurocognitive functioning did not differ by HCV serostatus. Among the HCV-seropositive participants, there was no association between neurocognitive performance and serum HCV RNA concentration.CONCLUSION: In HIV-infected patients, HCV coinfection does not contribute to neurocognitive impairment, at least in the absence of substantial HCV-associated liver damage, which was not evident in our cohort.</p>