1998 revision to the British HIV Association guidelines for antiretroviral treatment of HIV seropositive individuals

When the British HIV-1 Association (BHIVA) guidelines on the treatment of HIV-seropositive individuals with antiretrovirals were published in The Lancet in April 1997, it was clear that they would require updating on a frequent basis. The guidelines have been useful in ensuring that viral-load testing and combination therapy is widely available in the UK. However, standards of treatment are rapidly changing as new evidence becomes available. Since formulation of the guidelines, data from two large clinical endpoint studies have been presented that show superior clinical benefit for the use of triple therapy compared with dual therapy in treatment of both naïve individuals and patients who have been given zidovudine. Here we update the BHIVA guidelines with a consensus drawn from a wide range of UK medical opinion. The guidelines include input from groups representing individuals living with HIV-1. A more detailed reflection of these views may be found in publications such as the National AIDS Manual and the AIDS Treatment Projectʹs Doctor fax.