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Background: The prevalence of lipodystrophy ranges from 31 to 65%, depending on the criteria adopted for diagnosis. The usual methods applied in the diagnosis vary from self-perception, medical examination, skinfolds measurements, or even imaging assessment for confirmation of fat distribution changes. Although several methods have been developed, there is no gold standard for characterization of LA and LH, or mixed forms. This study aimed to compare self-reported signs of lipodystrophy with objective measures by skinfolds and circumferences, and to evaluate the prevalence of lipoatrophy (LA) and lipohypertrophy (LH) among subjects living with HIV/AIDS on ART. Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled participants living with HIV/AIDS receiving ART, aged 18 years or older from an outpatient health care center, in Southern Brazil. Self-reported body fat enlargement in the abdomen, chest or breasts, and dorsocervical fat pad were used to determine LH, while LA was identified by self-reported fat wasting of the face, neck, legs, arms or buttocks. Measurements were obtained with a scientific caliper for infraorbital, buccal, and submandibular skinfolds, and using an inelastic tape to measure circumferences of waist, hip, neck, and arm. LH and LA were established by the presence of at least one self-reported sign Results: Comparisons of self-reported signs with objective measurements for men and women were carried out in 815 participants on ART, out of 1240 participants with HIV infection. Self-report of decreased facial fat and sunken cheeks was associated with lower infraorbital, buccal, and submandibular skinfolds. Participants who reported buffalo hump had, on average, greater neck circumference, as well as those who have increased waist circumference also reported abdominal enlargement, but no buttock wasting. Men were most commonly affected by lipoatrophy (73 vs. 53%; P < 0.001), and women by lipohypertrophy (79 vs. 56%; P < 0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, self-reported signs of lipodystrophy and lipoatrophy are prevalent, differ by gender, and are associated with objective measurements in people living with HIV/AIDS.

Background Alcohol consumption is highly prevalent in the general population and among HIV-infected population. This study aimed to compare the pattern of alcohol consumption and to describe characteristics associated with heavy alcohol consumption in individuals from the general population with patients infected with HIV. Methods Participants for this analysis came from a population-based cross-sectional study and from a consecutive sampling of patients infected with HIV. Participants aged 18 years or older were interviewed using similar questionnaires with questions pertaining to socio-demographic characteristics, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, and HIV-related characteristics, among others. Blood pressure and anthropometric measures were measured using standardized procedures. Results Weekly alcohol consumption was more prevalent among individuals from the general population than HIV-infected patients: 57.0 vs. 31.1%, P

Cardiovascular disease has emerged as a crescent problem among HIV-infected population. This study aimed to determine the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease using the Framingham risk score among HIV-infected patients from three regions of Brazil. This is a pooled analysis of three cohort studies, which enrolled 3,829 individuals, 59% were men, 66% had white skin color, and mean age 39.0 ± 9.9 years. Comparisons among regions showed that thereweremarked differences in demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and HIV-related characteristics. Prevalence of Framingham score ≥10 was 4.5% in the Southern, 4.2% in the Midwest, and 3.9% in the Northeast of Brazil.The Framingham score ≥10 was similar between regions for males, patients aged ≥60 years, with obesity, central obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Women were three times more likely to have coronary heart disease in 10 years than men. Hypertension and diabetes increased more than four times the risk of coronary heart disease, followed by central obesity, obesity, and prehypertension.The use of antiretroviral agents and time since HIV diagnosis were not risk factors for coronary artery disease in 10 years. In conclusion, hypertension and diabetes are the strongest independent predictors of 10-year risk of coronary heart disease among HIV-infected population.

Introduction. Although alcohol abuse is associated with hypertension in whites and nonwhites, it has been scarcely investigated in HIV-infected patients. Objective. To investigate whether the association of alcohol abuse with hypertension is influenced by skin color in HIV-infected individuals. Methods. Cross-sectional study in HIV-infected individuals aged 18 years or older. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and HIV infection were investigated. Alcohol abuse was defined as ≥15 (women) and ≥30 g/alcohol/day (men), and binge drinking by the intake of ≥5 drinks on a single occasion. Hypertension was defined by blood pressure ≥140/90mmHg or use of blood pressure-lowering agents. Results.We studied 1,240 individuals, with 39.1 ± 10 years, 51% males and 57% whites. Age and bodymass index were associated with blood pressure, and there was an independent association of alcohol abuse with hypertension in whites (RR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.3) and nonwhites (RR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.4 to 4.0). Among nonwhite individuals who were alcohol abusers, systolic (9.3±3.2; P = 0.001) and diastolic blood pressures (6.4±2.1; P = 0.008) were higher than in nonabusers. Conclusion. Alcohol abuse is a risk factor for hypertension in white and nonwhite HIV-infected individuals. The association of ethanol consumption with blood pressure is not explained by AIDS-related conditions.

Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is based on the same individual components, but has received several amendments to the original definition. In this study, we verified the prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to different criteria, and the impact of each component on the diagnostic. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled HIV infected patients from a HIV/AIDS reference Center in southern Brazil. Metabolic syndrome was identified according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (NCEP-ATPIII), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) criteria, and using a standardized questionnaire and blood testing. Results: A sample of 1240, out of 1295, HIV-infected patients was enrolled. Males were on average older, more educated, and had shorter time since the HIV diagnosis. The population attributable risk (PAR) for waist circumference explained 80% of the prevalence among men and women (AHA/NHLBI criteria). Triglycerides had the highest impact on prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to all criteria, independently of age, skin color and HAART use, among men. Conclusions: In this large sample of HIV infected patients, the overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome, under either classification, was noticeable and the AHA/NHLBI definition accounted for the highest prevalence.

Background: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by the detection of HBV DNA in serum and/or in liver in the absence of detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The reported prevalence of occult hepatitis B varies markedly among populations and according to the sensitivity of the HBV DNA assay. The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence of occult hepatitis B among HCV-infected and non-infected blood donors in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, using a highly sensitive real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Methodology: Between 1995 and 1997 a sample of 178 blood donors with two positive anti-HCV ELISA tests were consecutively selected as cases, and 356 anti-HCV negative donors were selected as controls. Blood donors were randomly selected from eight blood centers in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, representative of the whole blood donor population. Blood samples were kept at 70°C and defrosted for the first time for the analysis of this report. Tests previously performed in the laboratory using the same real time PCR for HBV DNA had sensitivity for detecting as low as 9 copies/mL. Among 158 blood samples from HBsAg-negative blood donors, five were anti-HBc positive, 53 tested positive for anti-HCV and 105 had anti-HCV negative. The samples analysis was performed in duplicate and all blood samples tested negative for HBV DNA. Conclusion: The result reflects a very low prevalence of occult hepatitis B in our setting.

Background: Prevalence rates of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) co-infection, the distribution of HCV genotypes, and the frequency of spontaneous resolution of hepatitis C in patients infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have a worldwide disparity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) in patients with HIV, the proportion and correlates of infection by different HCV genotypes, and rates of spontaneous resolution of HCV infection. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1143 HIV patients under follow-up in a HIV/AIDS outpatient reference center of the Brazilian public health system. From 357 anti-HCV positive patients, a consecutive sample of 227 individuals HCV treatment-naı¨ve was interviewed and 207 was tested for HCV-RNA and genotypes. Results: Anti-HCV was detected in 357 patients (31.2%). HCV-RNA was undetectable in 16.4% of 207 anti-HCV positive individuals. Genotype 1 was diagnosed in 81.5% of the sample, genotype 2 in 1.7% and genotype 3 in 16.2%. Male gender was the unique characteristic associated with higher prevalence of genotype 1 HCV. Conclusions: Co-infection by HCV is frequent among patients with HIV in our State, and it is particularly high the infection by HCV genotype 1. Further investigation is necessary to explain the important regional variation in the proportion of infection by the different HCV genotypes and to better understand rates of spontaneous HCV clearance.

Introdução: O modelo MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) é um preditor acurado de mortalidade em pacientes em lista de espera para transplante hepático. Além dele há outros escores: o Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), amplamente avaliado, e o EMERALD, um escore novo e ainda não completamente validado. A implementação do MELD na alocação de fígados para transplante no Brasil baseou-se em estudos realizados em países desenvolvidos, pois não há dados brasileiros descrevendo o desempenho do MELD para predizer a sobrevida póstransplante hepático. Objetivos: Avaliar o desempenho do escore MELD em predizer mortalidade três e seis meses após inclusão em lista de espera para o primeiro transplante de fígado, em uma coorte de pacientes com doenças hepáticas crônicas, e comparar sua performance com a dos escores CTP e EMERALD. Determinar a acurácia do MELD pré-transplante para predizer a sobrevida pós-transplante hepático e identificar características associadas com a sobrevida de pacientes. Introdução: O modelo MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) é um preditor acurado de mortalidade em pacientes em lista de espera para transplante hepático. Além dele há outros escores: o Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), amplamente avaliado, e o EMERALD, um escore novo e ainda não completamente validado. A implementação do MELD na alocação de fígados para transplante no Brasil baseou-se em estudos realizados em países desenvolvidos, pois não há dados brasileiros descrevendo o desempenho do MELD para predizer a sobrevida póstransplante hepático. Objetivos: Avaliar o desempenho do escore MELD em predizer mortalidade três e seis meses após inclusão em lista de espera para o primeiro transplante de fígado, em uma coorte de pacientes com doenças hepáticas crônicas, e comparar sua performance com a dos escores CTP e EMERALD. Determinar a acurácia do MELD pré-transplante para predizer a sobrevida pós-transplante hepático e identificar características associadas com a sobrevida de pacientes.Resultados: Os resultados do primeiro estudo de coorte referem-se a 271 pacientes em lista de transplante hepático. Na inclusão em lista, a média dos escores MELD e EMERALD foi 14,8 e 26,6, respectivamente. Aproximadamente61% dos pacientes foram classificados como CTP B. Durante o acompanhamento aos três e seis meses após a inclusão em lista, as porcentagens de pacientes que faleceram, foram transplantados ou permaneceram em lista foram 11,8%, 9,2% e 79,0% e 19,2%, 17,7% e 63,1%, respectivamente. A mortalidade em três meses foi igualmente prevista pelos escores MELD, EMERALD e CTP (estatística-c 0,79, 0,74 e 0,70, respectivamente). Para a mortalidade em seis meses, as curvas ROC e a área sob a curva foram similares. O segundo estudo incluiu 436 pacientes submetidos a transplante hepático que foram acompanhados por aproximadamente 14 anos ou até o óbito. Na coorte pós-transplante hepático a maioria dos receptores e doadores eram homens, com média de idade de 51,6 e 38,5 anos, respectivamente. Os valores da estatística-c para mortalidade em três meses foram 0,60 e 0,61 para o MELD e o CTP, respectivamente. O método KM mostrou que a sobrevida em três, seis e 12 meses foi menor em pacientes com MELD O 21 ou CTP C. Análise multivariada revelou que idade do receptor O 65 anos, MELD O 21, CTP categoria C, bilirrubina O 7 mg/dL, creatinina O 1,5 mg/dL, carcinoma hepatocelular e doador com cor da pele não-branca foram preditores de mortalidade. Conclusões: Mortalidade três e seis meses após inclusão em lista de espera para transplante foi predita pelos escores MELD, CTP e EMERALD. Contudo, o escore MELD apresenta vantagens pela menor variabilidade na determinação de seus componentes, comparativamente ao CTP, e o escore EMERALD necessita de avaliação adicional. Em relação à sobrevida pós-transplante, doença hepática grave prétransplante, pacientes com idade O 65 anos, portadores de carcinoma hepatocelular e doador com cor da pele não-branca associaram-se com pior prognóstico. Introduction: The Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) is an accurate predictor of mortality in patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation. Other scores are also available: the Child Turcotte Pugh (CTP), a widely evaluated score, and the EMERALD, a new score not yet fully validated. The MELD is used to allocate livers for transplants in Brazil following studies conducted in developed countries because no Brazilian data are available to describe the performance of MELD in predicting survival after liver transplantation. Objectives: To evaluate the performance of the MELD score to predict mortality three and six months after inclusion in the waiting list for a first liver transplant in a cohort of patients with end-stage liver disease, and to compare its performance with the performances of the CTP and EMERALD scores. To determine the accuracy of pre-transplant MELD scores to predict survival after liver transplant and to identify characteristics associated with patient survival. Method: In this cohort study, patients on the waiting list were followed up for a mean 20 months, and the predictive performance of scores of severity of underlying liver disease was evaluated: MELD, CPT and EMERALD. ROC curves and c-statistics were used to establish score accuracy to predict mortality after inclusion in the transplant waiting list. The second cohort consisted only of patients that underwent liver transplant, and the study analyzed the patient characteristics associated with long-term survival. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) method was used to analyze survival along time according to MELD and CTP scores. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate risk of death while on the waiting list and to evaluate the association between risk factors for mortality after liver transplant. Results: The first cohort consisted of 271 patients on the liver transplant waiting list. At the time of inclusion in the list, mean MELD and EMERALD scores were 14.8 and 26.6. About 61% of the patients were classified as CTP B. During follow-up after inclusion in the list, the percentages of patients that died, underwent transplant, or remained on the list were 11.8%, 9.2% and 79.0% at three months and 19.2%, 17.7% and 63.1% at six months. Mortality at threemonths was equally predicted by MELD, EMERALD and CTP scores (c-statistics: 0.79, 0.74 and 0.70). For mortality at six months, ROC curves and areas under the curve were similar. The second cohort study evaluated 436 patients that underwent liver transplant and were followed up for about 14 years or until death. In this cohort, most recipients and donors were men, and their mean age was 51.6 and 38.5 years. C-statistics for mortality at three months was 0.60 and 0.61 for MELD and CTP. The KM method showed that survival at three, six and 12 months was lower in patients with MELD O 21 or CTP C. Multivariate analysis showed that recipient age O 65 years, MELD O 21, CTP C, bilirubin O 7 mg/dL, creatinine O 1.5 mg/dL, hepatocellular carcinoma and non-white donor were predictors of mortality. Conclusions: Mortality at three and six months after inclusion in the transplant waiting list was predicted by the MELD, EMERALD and CTP scores. However, the MELD score had a lower variability in the determination of its components than CTP, and the EMERALD score should be further evaluated. The analysis of survival after transplant showed that severity of underlying liver disease, patient age O 65 years, hepatocellular carcinoma, and non-white donor were factors associated with a poor prognosis.

Hipertensão portal e cirrose podem causar complexas alterações do leito vascular pulmonar, dentre elas a síndrome hepatopulmonar e a hipertensão portopulmonar. A associação de hipertensão pulmonar com cirrose e hipertensão portal é pouco diagnosticada, sendo sua prevalência estimada por volta de 1% a 2% dos pacientes com hipertensão portal ou cirrose, sem preferência por sexo, e com predomínio na faixa dos 40 anos. Fatores etiológicos não foram bem definidos para explicar o aumento da pressão da artéria pulmonar e da resistência vascular pulmonar. A maioria dos pacientes é assintomática até que desenvolva dispnéia aos esforços, o que geralmente ocorre quando a pressão média na artéria pulmonar ultrapassa o valor de 40 mmHg. A mortalidade é elevada pela associação de doença hepática e hipoxemia progressiva ou falência ventricular direita. Novos estudos são necessários para se estabelecer os benefícios do uso dos vasodilatadores orais, inalatórios ou endovenosos e os resultados do transplante hepático, talvez a única possibilidade terapêutica definitiva. Portal hypertension and cirrhosis can result in complex changes in the pulmonary vascular bed, the most important among them being the hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension. When pulmonary hypertension accompanies cirrhosis and portal hypertension, it is seldom diagnosed. Its prevalence is estimated to range from 1% to 2% in patients with portal hypertension or cirrhosis, regardless of gender, and the condition is predominantly seen in patients in their 40s. Etiologic factors have not been sufficiently well defined to explain the increase in pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Most patients are asymptomatic until developing dyspnea on exertion, which generally occurs when the mean pulmonary artery pressure exceeds 40 mmHg. Concomitant hepatic disease with progressive hypoxemia or right ventricular failure increase mortality rates. Further studies are needed in order to determine the benefits of using oral, inhaled or intravenous vasodilators, as well as to evaluate the outcomes of liver transplant, which may be the sole definitive therapeutic option.

Background: In Brazil, it is estimated that between 2.5 and 4.9% of the general population present anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies, which corresponds to as many as 3.9 to 7.6 million chronic carriers. Chronic liver disease is associated with HCV infection in 20% to 58% of the Brazilian patients. The objective of this case-control study was to investigate the risk factors for presence of anti-HCV antibody in blood donors in southern Brazil. Methods: One hundred and seventy eight blood donors with two positive ELISA results for anti- HCV were cases, and 356 controls tested negative. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data concerning demographic and socioeconomic aspects, history of previous hepatitis infection, social and sexual behaviors, and number of donations. Variables were grouped into sets of hierarchical categories. Cases and controls were compared using logistic regression, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. The statistical significance of the associations was assessed through likelihood ratio tests based on a P value < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of anti-HCV among blood donors was 1.1%. Most of the donors were white and males. In the multivariate analysis, independent predictors of anti-HCV positivity were: intravenous drug use, blood transfusion >10 years earlier, having had two to four sexually transmitted diseases, incarceration, tattooing, sex with a hepatitis B or C virus carrier or with intravenous drug users. Conclusion: Intravenous drug use, blood transfusion, and tattooing were the main risk factors for anti-HCV positivity among blood donors from southern Brazil, but sexual HCV transmission should also be considered.