ResearchProjects

Many people with HIV have hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection and consume alcohol. Now that highly effective and easily tolerated therapies for HCV are available, opportunities exist to prevent morbidity and mortality from HCV, including liver failure and cancer. Alcohol consumption may offset these benefits as it magnifies damage from HCV infection, potentially leading to liver inflammation, increased risk of liver failure, and liver cancer. Those with HIV are at particularly high risk of the adverse effects of alcohol consumption because they already have multiple sources of liver injury, such as steatosis (fatty liver) and medications that can damage the liver. Moreover, the high cost of HCV therapies and enormous burden on health expenditures magnifies the importance of employing these treatments successfully and with favorable value. In order to weigh these trade offs systematically and to inform future HCV treatment guidelines for individuals with HIV, this study employed a decision analytic model to compare alternative strategies for linking alcohol consumption criteria to HCV treatment eligibility.