Hepatitis B Virus / Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-Infection and Its Hepatocarcinogenic Potential in Sub-Saharan Black Africans

Context: since the introduction of highly active anti-retroviral regimen for human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection, a significant increase in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported in patients already chronically infected with hepatitis b virus and then given this form of regimen for their retroviral infection. evidence acquisition: this phenomenon was initially attributed to the far more prolonged survival of those patients who received this new regimen, which provided sufficient time, allowing hepatitis b virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma to develop. results: the current belief is that the increased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma is because of co-infection with the two viruses, one known to be hepatocarcinogenic and the other suspected to increase the carcinogenic potential of the other. because both hepatitis b virus and human immunodeficiency virus -1 are endemic in the black population of sub-saharan africa and are transmitted in similar ways, as many as 20% of this population are co-infected with the two viruses. in this way, the already high risk of black african patients developing hepatitis b virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma is further increased. conclusions: the pathogenetic mechanism or mechanisms involved in the carcinogenic interaction between the hepatitis b virus and the human immunodeficiency virus-1 in sub-saharan black africans and other populations co-infected with these viruses have yet to be determined.