Management of patients with asymptomatic HIV infection

There has been extensive progress in the management of HIV infection. This especially applies to patients in the early asymptomatic stages of disease. Management guidelines include counseling of all seropositive patients, medical evaluation, psychological support, and medical intervention. For the asymptomatic patient, important strategies currently recommended include a CD-4 cell count at six month intervals with the use of AZT for those patients with counts of less than 500/mm3 and the use of Pneumocystis carinii prophylaxis in those with CD-4 counts of less than 200/mm3. It is likely these recommendations will change in the near future due to the rapid evolution of developments in this field. Most promising are a variety of new antiviral agents and additional measures to prevent superimposed opportunistic infections.