PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Valentina Montessori
AU  - Natasha Press
AU  - Marianne Harris
AU  - Linda Akagi
AU  - Julio S.G. Montaner
TI  - Adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection
DP  - 2004 Jan 20
TA  - Canadian Medical Association Journal
PG  - 229--238
VI  - 170
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/170/2/229.short
4100  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/170/2/229.full
SO  - CMAJ2004 Jan 20; 170
AB  - LONG-TERM REMISSION OF HIV-1 DISEASE CAN BE READILY ACHIEVED by combinations of antiretroviral agents. The suppression of plasma viral loads to less than the limit of quantification of the most sensitive commercially available assays (i.e., less than 50 copies/mL) and the coincident improvement in CD4 T cell counts is associated with resolution of established opportunistic infections and a decrease in the risk of new opportunistic infections. However, prolonged treatment with combination regimens can be difficult to sustain because of problems with adherence and toxic effects. All antiretroviral drugs can have both short-term and long-term adverse events. The risk of specific side effects varies from drug to drug, from drug class to drug class, and from patient to patient. A better understanding of the adverse effects of antiretroviral agents is of interest not only for HIV specialists as they try to optimize therapy, but also for other physicians who care for HIV-positive patients.