Most countries have guidelines for ARV treatment.

They include guidelines for treatment of adults. There are usually separate documents for treating children, treatment during pregnancy, for TB or hepatitis coinfection, for adherence, and for treating opportunistic infections.

Guidelines are generally written for doctors and use technical medical language. They present a consensus opinion, for example, on when to start treatment, which drugs to use, how to manage side effects. There is sometimes a ‘patient’ version in non-medical language.

Guidelines need to be regularly revised to ensure they are up-to-date. Always check the date of a guideline that you are using. Always check to see whether a more recent update is available.

Guidelines on the Internet

WHO guidelines
Over 30 guidelines on all aspects of HIV diagnosis, monitoring, treatment and care.

US guidelines
aidsinfo.nih.gov

Separate public US guidelines for adults, children, pregnancy, OIs, testing and prevention. Regularly updated.

UK guidelines
www.bhiva.org

Guidelines on all aspects of HIV care including treatment, pregnancy, coinfection with hepatitis and TB, malignancies, immunisations and organ transplants.

UK guidelines for children
www.chiva.org.uk

European guidelines
www.eacs.eu

European guidelines on HIV treatment, non-infections co-morbidities and coinfection with hepatitis B/C.

Selected international guidelines
hivinsite.ucsf.edu/insite?page=cr-00-04