title: Antiretroviral therapy. Immune restoration disease in HIV-infected patients on HAART.
abstract: Inflammatory diseases related to a preexistent or subclinical infection with an opportunistic pathogen in patients with HIV infection who respond to HAART may be caused by the restoration of an immune response against the pathogen. One danger can be misinterpreting the patient's condition as evidence of treatment failure and then stopping the drug regimen. Instead, measurement of pathogen-specific immune responses may help in the diagnosis of immune restoration diseases. The next step may be to continue HAART and therapy for the related infection and add anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids. Generally, antiretroviral therapy should only be stopped, even temporarily, if that approach fails.
authors.affiliation: Communicable Diseases Service, Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: French
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002494:Central Nervous System Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D017726:Cytomegalovirus Retinitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects*; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology