DHSS Panel Revises Guidelines for Therapy Initiation

A revision of the United States Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHSS) guidelinesfor the use of antiretroviral agents was releasedwith media fanfare during the 8th Conference ofRetroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI)held in Chicago this February (www.hivatis.org).Attention was focused on new recommendationsto delay therapy in asymptomatic patients untilCD4 cell counts reach 350 cells/mm3 or until HIVRNA levels reach 55,000 copies/mL. The priorguidelines recommended therapy initiation earlierin disease course defined by a higher CD4(500 cells/mm3) and a lower HIV RNA threshold(20,000 copies/mL).