IRIS: A concern for people
starting HIV therapy

April 2008     View PDF     En español

Special concerns for people living with HIV

Before starting HIV therapy, especially if you have a severely damaged immune system (low CD4 count and high HIV level), it may be wise to aggressively diagnose any possible infections. Some infections may appear as though they’re well under control, such as TB disease. Some may have resolved many months or even years ago.

However, other infections may have occurred without you noticing their symptoms, like herpes or HPV. This is called a subclinical infection — something that hasn’t been diagnosed or noticed yet. Talking to your doctor, taking a thorough medical history, and checking a full range of blood tests can go a long way in diagnosing other possible infections.