IRIS: A concern for people
starting HIV therapy

January 2010     View PDF     En español

It’s a mouthful of a phrase, but immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is a serious condition that can be challenging to diagnose and treat. The main concern with IRIS is the inflammation that it causes. Though research is beginning to sort out the condition, it is still not well understood or predicted.

It’s not clear who will more likely experience IRIS, though it most often occurs shortly after the start of HIV therapy in people with more damaged immune systems. More study needs to tease out its risk factors and to find screening tools to help predict and manage the condition.