Study: NAFLD May Be Underappreciated Comorbidity in Individuals With HIV

Research on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in persons infected with HIV revealed a prevalence of the condition of about 40%, suggesting the condition may be an underappreciated comorbidity in this population.

A team of investigators led by Matthew Copeland, DO, an internist at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, set out to determine the prevalence and characteristics of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in persons with HIV in a regional cohort of patients.

IBM Watson’s EXPLORYS platform was used to analyze a de-identified database of medical records of patients who were seen at Medstar Health Facilities in Washington, DC, between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2016. Diagnoses of HIV, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection were identified through ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes.

More than 31,000 patients (n = 31,005) in the database were identified as having HIV. Of these patients, the majority (68%) were male and/or African American (74%). A total of 510 patients (1.64%) were diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and more than half (n = 269, 52.7%) were also coinfected with hepatitis B virus and/or hepatitis C virus. Hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity were the most common metabolic comorbidities among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, at 43.5%, 43.1%, and 29.8%, respectively. Cardiovascular disease was noted in 27% of these patients, while 36% had chronic kidney disease.

This article was originally published by Pharmacy Times' sister publication Md Magazine. To read the full version, visit MdMag.com.