HIV/AIDS treatment options
A number of treatment options are available for children and adolescents
living with HIV that prolong their lives and greatly improve the quality of
their lives. There are now three different classes of anti-HIV medications
available, each of which works against HIV in a different way. Most patients are
treated with "combination therapy" which can consist of two, three or four
different anti-HIV medications.
These combination therapies (or "cocktails") generally include:
-
A protease inhibitor (such as Kaletra, Crixivan, Fortovase or Viracept)
-
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (such as Sustiva or
Viramune)
-
Other anti-HIV medications (i.e. Retrovir, Epivir, Zerit, Videx, and
Abacavir).
Our health care team constantly strive to improve the health and lives of our
patients by managing their medications, reducing drug side affects, and
addressing all the patients' other health care needs.
Research opportunities
The HIV/AIDS program at Children's Memorial is the leader in Chicago in providing patients
with the opportunity to enroll in pediatric or adolescent HIV/AIDS clinical
research studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The
program offers patients access to the latest medication and treatment available.
This research will continue to:
-
Advance the standards of HIV care significantly
-
Improve the quality of life for HIV infected patients
-
Reduce new infection rates
Currently, the program has more than 185 patients
enrolled in government-sponsored clinical trials. It is one of the top rated pediatric HIV research sites
in the country.
In addition, the program participates in numerous
pharmaceutical companies' clinical research studies that strive to improve
medication alternatives for HIV patients. These studies afford our patients
access to cutting-edge research and medications that are designed to improve
their quality of life until effective vaccines and a cure are
found.