Being infected with a strain of hepatitis may help people with HIV to live longer, a study suggests.

Scientists in the US examined data on 271 HIV-positive men who were involved in a 15-year study. They found that those with hepatitis G fared better than those without the virus. They were less likely to develop Aids or die from the disease. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, the scientists said the finding could lead to new drugs.

Hepatitis G or GBV-C virus was only discovered in 1995 and scientists are still trying to fully understand it. There is evidence to suggest that it does not cause serious liver disease.

Studies suggest many people can carry the virus for years without ever displaying symptoms. Doctors believe the virus may be transmitted sexually. Between 15% and 40% of HIV positive patients are estimated to have it.

In this latest study, the researchers identified hepatitis G in 85% of the men they looked at. They found that men without the virus were almost three times more likely to have died compared to those who had contracted it. The researchers said they did not know why the difference was so great. They speculated that hepatitis G may interfere somehow with HIV, slowing its progression.

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