HIV:

HIV/AIDS Overview: Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV/AIDS weakens a person's ability to fight infections and cancer. HIV transmission occurs with unprotected sex or with needle sharing. Symptoms of HIV vary widely. A person may have HIV symptoms or AIDS symptoms without knowing it until they get HIV testing. There is no AIDS cure at this time although medications can delay the onset of AIDS.
In recent years, new combinations that minimize side effects and require patients to take fewer pills have become available. And research has suggested that delaying treatment can seriously damage the immune and nervous systems.
Kitahata says there's no doubt that under the current guidelines, deaths due to AIDS have dramatically declined. But the new data support growing evidence that starting treatment earlier might help cut deaths due to other causes among HIV-infected people, she says.
For the study, Kitahata and colleagues examined 8,374 people in the U.S. and Canada with CD4 cell counts of 351 to 500. Thirty percent started taking HIV drugs right away, while the others waited until their CD4 counts fell.
Dan Kuritzkes, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, says the findings could lead to a change in treatment recommendations. Kuritzkes, who was not involved in the study, moderated a news conference to discuss the results.