Case 1: Indications for Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy

Question | Discussion | References | CME Credit

You answered:

	Antiretroviral therapy is recommended for patients who are co-infected with hepatitis B virus when treatment for hepatitis B virus is indicated, regardless of the patient's CD4 cell count.

This answer is correct. The January 2008 DHHS antiretroviral therapy guidelines expanded the indications for initiating antiretroviral therapy to include patients co-infected with hepatitis B virus (when treatment for hepatitis B virus is indicated), regardless of the patient's CD cell count. All currently available antiviral agents used to treat hepatitis B virus also have activity against HIV and use of these agents alone to treat hepatitis B virus can potentially cause cross-resistance with the HIV nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Accordingly, treatment of hepatitis B with one or more antiviral agents should be done as part of (or along with) a highly active antiretroviral regimen for treatment of HIV.

[Back to Case 1 Question | Proceed to Case 1 Discussion]