Emerging Challenges in the Management of HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection in Veterans

Twenty-five years into the HIV epidemic, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the HIV-infected patient continues to pose unique and important challenges to health care providers and their patients. Between one-third and one-half of all veterans infected with HIV are coinfected with HCV--a proportion that is higher than that reported for other national samples.(1) As the largest single provider of medical care to people with both HCV and HIV in the United States, as well as the nation's leader in HCV screening, testing, and treatment, the VA is in a remarkable position to tackle the challenge of HIV-HCV coinfection.(2,3)