Initiating HIV/AIDS Therapy in Treatment-Naïve Patients For physicians, what are the key criteria in selecting A HAART regimen?
	Enlarged Version of Graphics Below	Dr. Bellos (OC): The goal of treatment for me in the initial patient is the rapidity of decline of viral load, because that actually helps to predict the durability of the regimen. Dr. Kwakwa (OC): I like to see potency, durability, tolerability, of course, because if the patient is unable to take the regimen for whatever reason, the other two go out the door-out the window, I should say. Those are my two main issues. A long-term favorable side effect profile is also important. Dr. Wohlfeiler (OC): There are a lot of different factors. It gets hard to put into words. So I always say it's a clinical gestalt that you get from having done this. And it encompasses a lot of different things. It's looking at the patient.... Dr. Wohlfeiler (VO): ....looking at the patient's lifestyle and psychosocial situation. It's looking at how high the viral load is. How low the CD4 count is. It's looking at getting a sense as to what kinds of side effects somebody is going to be able to tolerate.   See Slide Dr. Wohlfeiler (OC): For instance, if somebody's got a very high functioning, demanding job, then a medication with central nervous system side effects may not be the best one for them. So you take all of these little bits of information and put it together. And try to come up with what you think is going to be the best combination for that person. Dr. Bellos (OC): From the clinician's perspective, comorbid conditions in patients are also important in choosing the initial regimen. Dr. Bellos (VO): Is the patient coinfected with hepatitis B or C? Does the patient have diabetes? Does the patient have heart disease? Does the patient have hypertension? Those are the kinds of questions that the clinicians need to take into consideration when they are designing their first regimen for the patient.   See Slide
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