Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 6e - Chapter 113 - Management of HIV Infection

The treatment and prognosis of pediatric HIV infection have changed dramatically since the start of the epidemic in the 1980s. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Panel on Antiretroviral Therapy and Medical Management of HIV-Infected Children has developed guidelines for use of antiretroviral agents in pediatric HIV infection.1 These guidelines are updated regularly to ensure that recommendations are based on the most recent evidence. Similarly, specialists in pediatric HIV infection periodically update guidelines for the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections (OIs) in HIV-infected and HIV-exposed, uninfected children.2 Guidance for HIV-infected children who have reached adolescence or for adolescents newly diagnosed with HIV is provided within the DHHS Adult and Adolescent Antiretroviral Guidelines.3 This chapter emphasizes the predominantly outpatient care-based approach to the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART).