Experts Call for Earlier HIV Treatment

Treatment guidelines may be revised
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 27, 2008 8:19 AM CDT
Experts Call for Earlier HIV Treatment
Children with HIV are cared for in the Casa Rosada orphanage in Santo Domingo. A new study challenges guidelines on when to begin treatment.   (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

New research challenges one of the basic assumptions about treating HIV—that patients should begin treatment only when levels of a type of white blood cell fall below a certain mark. New studies show that patients treated under current guidelines are 70% more likely to die than those treated sooner. Early treatment, however, is dependent on early diagnosis, and fewer than 4 of 10 US adults have been tested for HIV. (More HIV/AIDS stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X