Office management of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)--1990

Human immunovirus (HIV) infections and related diseases continue to consume a major portion of health care resources nationwide and in the state of Oklahoma. There were 162 new cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosed in Oklahoma in 1989 and an additional 347 cases of other HIV infections were reported. It appears almost certain that few physicians in practice, if any, will escape seeing HIV-related illnesses. It is, therefore, important that all physicians have an adequate understanding of the basic management of these related illnesses. The reader is referred to our original article in the October 1988 issue of the Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which outlined the office management of HIV-positive patients. The current paper represents an update on this problem. Many of the original tenets and descriptions of management remain the same, and they will not be repeated.