United Press International; Monday December 1, 1997 - 3:02 AM EST
Lidia Wasowicz, UPI Science Writer

No drug treatment failures have been reported in any of the patients in the Options Project at San Francisco General Hospital, founded in June 1996 on the premise that new available therapies work best early in the deadly game.

The program was created for persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV _ which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome, AIDS _ for less than six months.

The outcome _ which will be reported on World AIDS Day Monday at the inauguration of a major AIDS institute at the University of California, San Francisco _ stands in marked contrast with disease progression in patients given treatment at later stages of the infection.

Dr. Frederick Hecht, program co-director, says, "While people in the project have been on treatment with different combinations of antiretroviral drugs for varying periods of time, we are not seeing any breakthroughs after a year and a half."

Doctors consider a "breakthrough" _ or rebound in the amount of virus in a patient's blood _ a sign that the antiviral treatment has failed.

Says Hecht, "What we are observing in this group of patients is in contrast to what is being seen in general with people starting treatment later in HIV disease."

Project Director Dr. James Kahn cautions longer, larger follow-up studies are needed to corroborate the preliminary findings.

But, he adds, "our results to date suggest there is some substance to the idea that starting antiretroviral treatment early in HIV disease may be an opportunity to get good long-term results."

The reasons are two-fold: HIV may be more "vulnerable" to treatment early on, before it has a chance to spread and mutate, and the immune system is stronger and better able to help withstand the invader that, left to its own dastardly devices, will wreak deadly devastation in due course.

The program offers free confidential testing to those with recent HIV exposure who show possible symptoms of acute infection. These appear within a week to three months of exposure and include fever, rash, sore throat, muscle aches and severe fatigue.

Those accepted for the program receive free treatment.

Under a $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the Options Project researchers will study acute and early infection with HIV, delving into how the virus initiates disease, how it affects the immune system and how it responds to treatments.

971201
UP97971201

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1997. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1997. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .