Earlier HIV/AIDS Treatment

New guidelines for treating HIV and AIDS patients with anti-retroviral medications suggest earlier therapy might be more effective, according to findings presented at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

The guidelines, written by the International AIDS Society-USA Panel, suggest starting therapy before immune-system CD4 cell counts decline to fewer than 350 cells per microliter. Experts say that additional factors, such as the existence of other diseases like hepatitis B or C and cardiovascular risk, should be taken into account when considering when to start anti-retroviral therapy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that roughly 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006—a figure 40 percent higher than the former estimate of 40,000 infections each year.

A report from the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, issued at the AIDS conference, explores the possibility of whether taking daily medication can prevent HIV infection. In June, after the CDC reported an increase in false positives on certain oral fluid tests, U.S. News offered a caution about rapid HIV tests.