Strategies for HIV therapy

April 2008    View PDF    En español

Viral load and women

Several studies suggest that women generally have lower HIV levels than men at the same CD4+ cell counts. Some suggest that these differences decrease or disappear after the first five years of HIV infection.

The current Federal Guidelines recognize that HIV levels may be somewhat lower in women, but they don’t alter the goals of HIV therapy — to lower HIV levels to as low as possible and improve CD4+ counts and overall general health. They conclude that these data should not affect using therapy in women or in men.

The US Department of Health and Human Services issues Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in the Treatment of HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents. These are summarized in the table.

The Guidelines describe the recommendations of researchers, and point out that people with HIV and their doctors must consider many other factors, like a person’s readiness to start treatment or concerns about long-term toxicity and drug resistance.