Taking HIV patients off medications during periods when the disease appears to be under control is a risky – and sometimes fatal – treatment strategy, according to a large international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Patients who cycled on and off drugs were 2.6 times more likely to die or develop symptoms associated with full-blown AIDS, compared with patients on continuous therapy, the study found. They were also 1.8 times more likely to develop serious heart, kidney or liver diseases.
The study involved 5,472 patients in 33 countries.