New developments in long-term treatment of HIV: The honeymoon is over

New recommendations advise starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (H AART) slightly later in the course of HIV disease compared with earlier gui delines. HAART has prolonged life in HIV patients, altering the spectrum of problems being treated. As the immune system recovers, long-term prophylax is against some secondary infections can be discontinued. The problem, howe ver, is that HAART also has serious long-term side effects such as lactic a cidosis, lipodystrophy, and the promotion of drug-resistant strains of HIV.