A Call for Routine HIV Testing Among Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Abstract

In February 2010, Mr. R, a 49-year-old male with wellcontrolled HIV infection on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), was referred to our HIV/viral hepatitis coinfection clinic for evaluation of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. While he was worried about the degree of damage to his liver and whether HCV treatment was indicated, his greatest concern was for his wife. The couple had been having unprotected intercourse since they were teenagers, and Mr. R feared that his 47-year-old wife was infected with HIV. Mrs. R was diagnosed with chronic HCV years earlier and was under the care of a highly regarded gastroenterologist. This physician recommended liver biopsy with pharmacotherapy for HCV but had not tested Mrs. R for HIV.