An estimated 1.2 million persons with HIV live in the United States. Of people with HIV in the United States, about 25 percent are coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and about 10 percent are coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV).
People with HIV infection are disproportionately affected by viral hepatitis, and those who are coinfected are at increased risk for serious, life-threatening complications. HIV coinfection more than triples the risk for liver disease, liver failure, and liver-related death from HCV. Because viral hepatitis infection is often serious in people with HIV and may lead to liver damage more quickly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all persons at risk for HIV be vaccinated against hepatitis B and be tested for HBV and HCV infection.