New York’s AIDS Institute released new guidelines yesterday on helping HIV-positive teens and young adults transition from pediatric to adult HIV care. The guidelines recommend that plans for transition be made at least three years in advance and that the timing be personalized for each individual based on circumstances and readiness to assume responsibility for care.

The AIDS Institute is a division of the New York State Department of Health. The guidelines were developed in collaboration with clinicians from the Johns Hopkins University Division of Infectious Diseases.

“These guidelines have…

The Health Resources and Services Administration has released an updated version of its guidelines on caring for people with HIV. The guidelines, aimed toward clinicians with patients who have HIV or AIDS, cover topics such as HIV testing, treatment, and common illnesses and complications in people with HIV.

“Providing care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS is a key goal for our agency,” said Mary Wakefield, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in a press release.

“The Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care is precisely the kind…

Results from a recent study indicate that advances in antiretroviral therapy over the last 15 years have considerably improved outcomes for children with HIV who are entering adolescence and young adulthood.

The study found that most children with HIV maintain viral suppression and high CD4 (white blood) cell counts despite having had extensive treatment. Starting treatment earlier was more likely to result in better outcomes.

The researchers stated that their results support current U.S. treatment guidelines for initiating therapy at higher CD4 percentages in children.

Dr. Russell Van Dyke, co-author…

Results from a European study published this week show that HIV-positive children on antiretroviral therapy are more likely to experience treatment failure, including failure while taking antiretrovirals from all three main drug classes, than adults.

The researchers speculated that the higher rates were caused by poor adherence to prescribed drug regimens and inadequate antiretroviral doses in children.

Based on their results, they recommended further research into strategies to improve medication dosing and adherence in children and teens. They also recommended continued efforts to make antiretrovirals from newer drug classes, such…

Results of a large study released this week indicate that starting antiretroviral treatment earlier (at a CD4 count of 500 cells per microliter of blood) decreases the risk of getting AIDS-related illnesses. However, it does not improve survival relative to starting treatment later, once CD4 counts have dropped further.

“If the goal is to prevent AIDS or death, then initiation when CD4 cell count first drops below 500 is beneficial. However, this same benefit is not seen for mortality: the 5-year survival was similar for those initiating combination antiretroviral therapy…