Early versus deferred antiretroviral therapy for children older than 1 year infected with HIV (PREDICT): a multicentre, randomised, open-label trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The optimum time to start antiretroviral therapy for children diagnosed with HIV infection after 1 year of age is unknown. We assessed whether antiretroviral therapy could be deferred until CD4 percentages declined to less than 15% without affecting AIDS-free survival.

Methods

In our multicentre, randomised, open-label trial at nine research sites in Thailand and Cambodia, we enrolled children aged 1-12 years who were infected with HIV and had CD4 percentages of 15-24%. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) by a minimisation scheme to start antiretroviral therapy at study entry (early treatment group) or antiretroviral therapy to start when CD4 percentages declined to less than 15% (deferred treatment group). The primary endpoint was AIDS-free survival (based

SUBMITTER: Puthanakit T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3541427 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature