HIV patients live longer with Hepatitis G virus

Main Category: Liver Disease / Hepatitis
Article Date: 04 Mar 2004 - 0:00 PDT


According to a study, HIV patients might live longer if they have a strain of the virus Hepatitis G. This is the conclusion after a 15 year study which examined data on 271 HIV positive men.

Researchers said that those with Hepatitis G lived longer and were less likely to develop AIDS.

You can read about this in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Scientists said this could lead to a new vaccine.

The Hepatitis G virus was discovered relatively recently, 1995. It is called CBV-C. Scientists do not yet fully understand it.

It seems that it does not cause serious liver complications.

People might have the virus and not know about it (without symptoms). Maybe 1.8% of the American population are infected with it. This is according to a study that was carried out on blood donors in the USA. A similar study in South Africa found that 11% of people were infected with it.

The number of people who are HIV positive and also carry the Hepatitis G virus could be between 15-40%, say doctors.

In this latest study scientists found that men who were not infected with the Hepatitis G virus were three times more likely to have died (HIV men) than those who were infected with it.

It seems that Hepatitis G interferes with the progression of HIV.

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