Study Says All HIV-Infected Infants Should Receive Antiretroviral Treatment

A study of nearly 4,000 cases of children infected with HIV at birth shows that while CD4-cell percentages and HIV viral loads are useful in determining when older, treatment-naive children should begin antiretroviral therapy, the tests are not accurate predictors for infants. A CD4 percentage below 15'roughly equating to a CD4-cell count of 200'in children older than 2 years was linked with only a 10% chance of developing AIDS but was associated with a 40% risk of AIDS in infants six months or younger. This high HIV disease progression rate led the researchers to conclude that all HIV-infected infants should be treated with antiretroviral drugs during their first year of life, a position that mirrors the U.S. Public Health Service's treatment guidelines.