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Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.

Ask the Experts about Opportunistic Infections

 

recommend drug therapy
Mar 27, 2002

when would you recommend HIV drug therapy (I've had HIV for three months)

Response from Dr. Feinberg

(1) When someone's T cell count is low enough to cause concern (the current recommendation is less than 350 CD4 cells) (2) When someone has had an AIDS-defining illness regardless of CD4 cel count (3) When someone has a very high viral load regardless of CD4 cell count, (4) when HIV had been diagnosed in the process of or soon after seroconversion, and (5-- and probably most important) When the person is ready to take medication and is committed to to doing it right. These are the yardsticks I go buy in discussing treatment with patients.



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