New guidelines urge earlier therapy for HIV patients

According to new treatment guidelines released by the International AIDS Society-USA Panel, starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) when an HIV patient has no symptoms can prevent the progressive immune system destruction that leads to AIDS.
The 2010 recommendations were written by a panel of experts who reviewed new HIV data and research on timing of therapy, optimal regimen choices and monitoring that has emerged since the publication of the 2008 guidelines. There’s also now more knowledge about the effectiveness, toxicity and potential uses of newer drugs in HIV management.

The new guidelines are scheduled for presentation at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna on Sunday and will be published in the July 21 HIV/AIDS theme issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.