Search

There are an estimated 40 million HIV infected individuals worldwide, with chronic liver disease being the 2nd leading cause of mortality in this population. Elevated liver functions are commonly noted in HIV patients and the etiologies are varied. Viral hepatitis B and C, fatty liver and drug induced liver injury are more common. Treatment options for viral hepatitis C are rapidly evolving and are promising, but treatments are limited for the other conditions and is primarily supportive. Opportunistic infections of the liver are now uncommon. Irrespective of etiology, management requires referral to specialized centers and with due diligence mortality can be reduced., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Though some herbal medicines have been shown to protect against or treat experimental liver injury in vitro, and many may possess one or a combination of antioxidant, antifibrotic, immunomodulatory, or antiviral activities, they have not been shown effective in human trials. It has been extremely difficult to construct randomized, controlled trials using complementary and alternative medicines because of an incomplete understanding of their modes of action, the lack of standardization in their manufacture, and the complexity of ingredients in any herbal extract. This may become easier once more standardized and broad-based regulatory oversight of marketing and manufacture of these products is achieved. Despite this, the use of complementary and alternative medicines is ever increasing, especially in patients having chronic liver disease. With this growing popularity, it is becoming more apparent that many of these treatments possess the potential for appreciable hepatotoxicity, in some instances resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Until these products are more closely regulated and their advertising better scrutinized, all physicians and patients should become more familiar with the natural and alternative products that are commonly used, and recognize which can be harmful (Table 4). Better public awareness should be maintained with regard herb and prescription drug interactions.

ART-related hepatotoxicity can manifest in a variety of ways. Although benign, asymptomatic LEEs predominate, liver injury occurring in the context of either hypersensitivity or hyperlactatemia, represents a medical emergency and mandates immediate cessation of ART. Underpinning this broad spectrum of presentations are several, as yet poorly understood, mechanisms of liver damage that reflect contributions by constituents of HAART and host factors. Thus far, the most significant predisposing condition to emerge from clinical studies is chronic viral hepatitis. A more precise understanding, however, of the processes and factors that underlie ART-related hepatotoxicity is critical not only to the management of liver injury from current antiretroviral drugs but also to the design of safer drugs in the future.