See Also: Benefits of HIV Treatment and Risks of Nontreatment

General Information About HIV Treatment

HIV Treatment Fact Sheets from AIDSInfo:

• HIV Treatment: The Basics
• When to Start Antiretroviral Therapy
• What to Start: Selecting a First HIV Regimen
• FDA-Approved HIV Medicines
• Drug Resistance
• HIV Medication Adherence
• Following an HIV Regimen: Steps to Take Before and After Starting HIV Medicines

General Materials from Other Sources:

• What Is Antiretroviral Therapy? (AIDS InfoNet) and Spanish version
• Taking Current Antiretroviral Drugs (AIDS InfoNet) and Spanish version
• Starting HIV Treatment (Poz)
• Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Starting Treatment (AIDSmap)
• Starting, Monitoring, and Switching HIV Treatment (Avert)
• First Steps to HIV/AIDS Treatment (TheBody)
• Personal Tracking Charts (Project Inform) – simple charts for tracking T-cell counts, viral load, medications, and other important health information

Selected Recent Articles

• Educational attainment associated with health outcomes after starting HIV therapy.  (October 2016, AIDSmap)
• Dolutegravir plus lamivudine dual therapy works well as initial HIV treatment.  (July 2016, AIDSmap); related coverage from MedPage Today
• Starting treatment on the day of HIV diagnosis improves retention and viral suppression, Haiti study shows.  (July 2016, AIDSmap)
• Session reviews questions, controversies regarding initiation of ART in 2016.  (July 2016, Healio)
• Newly initiated ART does not reduce arterial inflammation in HIV patients.  (June 2016, Healio)
• Which HIV Treatment Regimens Are Recommended for Newly Diagnosed Patients?  (June 2016, TheBodyPro)
• People not taking HIV treatment feel under pressure to ‘do the right thing’.  (April 2016, AIDSmap)
• Starting HIV Treatment May Improve Liver Health.  (March 2016, Poz)
• Starting HIV treatment at first clinic visit improves outcomes in African study.  (February 2016, AIDSmap)
• Treating HIV Immediately May Protect Against Cognitive Decline. (January 2016, Poz)
• Start – and continue – HIV meds as soon as you can. (January 2016, Beta Blog)
• Slower Immune Recovery for Rapid Progressors Starting HIV Meds. (December 2015, Poz)
• Low Vitamin D May Drag CD4 Recovery When Starting HIV Meds. (December 2015, Poz)
• Times to Starting Treatment and Viral Suppression Drop 40% in U.S. Group, but Slower for African Americans.  (December 2015, TheBodyPro)
• START sub-studies show no differences in lung or neurocognitive function with early or later treatment.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• START sub-study shows more bone loss with earlier HIV treatment.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• With EACS release, all international HIV treatment guidelines agree on when to start – for the first time since 2006.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Benefits of early HIV treatment are clear, but issues raised by START and D:A:D remain unresolved.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• How do we treat the world? Experts discuss moving to universal HIV treatment.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• New antiretrovirals and HIV treatment strategies highlighted at ICAAC.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Starting HIV Treatment for Newly Diagnosed Patients.  (October 2015, TheBodyPro)
• Which HIV Treatment Regimen to Start with in 2015.  (September 2015, TheBodyPro)
• 6 Overlooked Questions That May Hold the Key to Beating HIV.  (April 2015, TheBodyPro)
• Dolutegravir Shows Promise as Part of First-Line HIV Therapy.  (March 2015, Beta Blog)
• Starting HIV treatment at CD4 count above 500 reduces the risk of serious illness and death by 44%, African Temprano trial shows.  (February 2015, AIDSmap)
• Early HIV Treatment Advantage Is Lost If Treatment Is Interrupted.  (February 2015, Poz)
• Starting HIV treatment early and then interrupting is no better than delaying it.  (January 2015, AIDSmap)
• First Year After HIV Infection Is Key Window for Treatment Start.  (January 2015, Poz)
• The Treatment Divide: When’s the Best Time to Start HIV Meds?  (November 2014 for Poz)
• Excellent outcomes among people starting HIV therapy at high CD4 counts in Uganda.  (August 2014, AIDSmap)
• Selzentry (Maraviroc) Fails to Best Truvada as First-Line Therapy.  (July 2014, Poz)
• Successful ART Started Under Age 6 Months More Likely to Yield Negative Antibody Test.  (July 2014, NATAP)
• Good Response and Resistance Record in Naive and Experienced Starting Dolutegravir.  (July 2014, NATAP)
• Therapy with newer, safer antiretrovirals an option for the majority of HIV-positive patients.  (July 2014, AIDSmap)
• Low vitamin D concentrations associated with poor clinical and virological outcomesamong people starting HIV therapy.  (May 2014, AIDSmap)
• Average CD4 cell count at time HIV therapy was started increased among young people in New York City after 2009.  (January 2014, AIDSmap)
• Starting antiretroviral therapy significantly reduces the risk of decompensated liver disease for men with HIV/HCV co-infection.  (December 2013, AIDSmap)
• Dolutegravir matches or surpasses other regimens for first-line HIV treatment.  (October 2013, AIDSmap)
• Why Patients (and Their Clinicians) Choose Not to Start HIV Treatment.  (October 2013, TheBodyPro)
• Insufficient Evidence to Support Universal HIV Treatment?  (August 2013, Poz)
• Low baseline CD4 cell count associated with greater bone loss after starting HIV therapy.  (August 2013, AIDSmap)
• CD4s at Entry Into HIV Care Largely Unchanged in 20 Years.  (August 2013, Poz)
• CD4 cell count at time of entry to HIV care did not increase significantly between 1992 and 2011.  (August 2013, AIDSmap)
• ‘Option B+’ women are at increased risk of loss to follow-up after starting HIV treatment.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)
• First-line antiretroviral therapy has improved over time, meta-analysis shows.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)
• German researchers report case of ‘functional cure’ after very early HIV treatment.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)
• WHO issues new HIV recommendations calling for earlier ARV initiation.  (June 2013, AIDSmap)
• Life expectancy for South African patients who start HIV therapy with CD4 cell counts above 200 is ‘near normal.’  (April 2013, AIDSmap)
• HIV Self-Testing and ART Initiation at Home: Promising Results from Blantyre Malawi.  (March 2013, Science Speaks Blog)
• Lusaka study: Starting antiretroviral treatment keep patients coming back.  (March 2013, Science Speaks Blog)
• Meta-analysis shows superiority of integrase inhibitors in first-line HIV therapy and benefits for people changing treatment due to resistance. (February 2013, AIDSmap)
• Systematic review confirms that efavirenz is a safer option than nevirapine for adults and children starting HIV therapy.  (January 2013, AIDSmap)