title: Economic impact of delaying or preventing AIDS in persons with HIV.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how preventing or delaying the development of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) [or other severe conditions related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)] through antiretroviral therapy affects the lifetime cost of HIV/AIDS care, and to compare the cost of therapy with the potential savings in HIV/AIDS-related end-of-life care.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis utilized a previously developed economic model of HIV/AIDS-related medical care costs under various disease progression scenarios to compare the costs and benefits of antiretroviral therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis suggests that: (1) recent projections of long-term medical care cost savings due to highly effective protease inhibitor combination therapies are probably illusory; (2) it makes relatively little difference to the overall long-term cost of HIV/AIDS care whether combination antiretroviral therapy completely prevents or just substantially delays progression to AIDS; and (3) although combination therapy is not likely to save economic resources in the long run, it nevertheless can be highly cost effective.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The health-related benefits of antiretroviral therapy are not free, but appear to be worth the cost.
authors.affiliation: Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53202, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Pinkerton
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Holtgrave
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017046:Cost Savings; D017281:Cost of Illness; D018450:Disease Progression; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors