Category Archives: Treatment
Complementary and alternative medicine use among HIV-positive people: Research synthesis and implications for HIV care
Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is prevalent among HIV-positive individuals despite the success of antiretroviral treatments and limited evidence of CAM’s safety and efficacy. To characterize the potential...
Clinical efficacy of high-dose acyclovir in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: A meta-analysis of randomized individual patient data
A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials (1792 patients, 2947 patient-years of follow-up) showed that acyclovir (> or = 3200 mg/day) offered a significant survival benefit (P = .006 by log-rank...
Equity and efficiency in scaling up access to HIV-related interventions in resource-limited settings
Purpose of review: The present review focuses on empirical studies examining equity and efficiency in scaling up access to HIV treatment in resource-limited settings. Key themes from reviewed papers are...
The utility of therapeutic drug monitoring for ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C – A critical review
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches were conducted through PubMed (1949-June 2009), EMBASE (1980-June 2009), BIOSIS...
A meta-analysis of adherence to antiretroviral therapy and virologic responses in HIV-infected children, adolescents, and young adults
The relationship between adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and virologic outcomes in HIV+ children, adolescents, and young adults has been notably understudied, with much of the extant research focused on...
Antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients with human immunodeficiency virus
BACKGROUND: Antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C may be less effective if patients are co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of antiviral treatment...
A systematic review comparing antiretroviral adherence descriptive and intervention studies conducted in the USA
We examined the extent to which studies aimed at testing interventions to improve antiretroviral adherence have targeted the facilitators of and barriers known to affect adherence. Of the 88 reports...
The effects of housing status on health-related outcomes in people living with HIV: A systematic review of the literature
INTRODUCTION: HIV infection is increasingly characterized as a chronic condition that can be managed through adherence to a healthy lifestyle, complex drug regimens, and regular treatment and monitoring. The location,...
The impact of disease stage on direct medical costs of HIV management: A review of the international literature
The global prevalence of HIV infection continues to grow, as a result of increasing incidence in some countries and improved survival where highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is available. Growing...
Changes in hematologic parameters and efficacy of thymidine analogue-based, highly active antiretroviral therapy: A meta-analysis of six prospective, randomized, comparative studies
Background: Hematologic changes that occur with HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy may impact the quality of life of patients and have been associated with morbidity and mortality. The management of...
The effectiveness and cost implications of task-shifting in the delivery of antiretroviral therapy to HIV-infected patients: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: Human resource shortages are a challenge to the rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected patients, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Task-shifting has been recommended as an approach to reduce...
