Ditte Marie Kirkegaard-Klitbo Follow Ditte
MD, PhD Fellow
Infectious Diseases, Department of , Amager and Hvidovre Hospital
Biography
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent with an estimated global prevalence of 25%. In people living with HIV (PLWHIV), NAFLD is even more frequent with an estimated prevalence of 35% and with a higher degree of inflammation and liver fibrosis compared to the background population. My research is part of the research consortium The Copenhagen Co-Morbidity (COCOMO) in HIV Infection Study, a prospective, longitudinal cohort study. The COCOMO Liver Study aims to determine i) the prevalence of NAFLD, ii) factors associated with NAFLD and iii) if HIV per se is independently associated with NAFLD severity in PLWHIV compared to the background population. We aim to thoroughly investigate a subgroup of individuals with signs of liver fibrosis or elevated liver enzymes to histologically characterize disease severity. Additionally, we aim to develop a clinical assessment tool to identify HIV positive individuals at risk of NAFLD.