AIDS sufferers whose treatment is assessed by simple clinical signs are almost on a par with those whose therapies are based on advanced laboratory analysis, the World Health Organisation said.
A new study appearing the in British medical journal The Lancet says monitoring
simple physical signs of deteriorating health -- such as weight loss or fever --
lets doctors provide therapies almost as effective as those relying on
laboratory tests.
"The results of this study should reassure clinicians in Africa and Asia, who
are treating literally millions of people without these laboratory tests, that
they are not compromising patient safety," said Charles Gilks, a co-author of
the study and the coordinator of antiretroviral treatment and HIV care at the
WHO.
"In fact, the outcome of their treatment is almost as good as those patients in
the USA and Europe where laboratory-guided treatment is the norm," he said.
The five-year survival rate for patients who only had clinical monitoring was 82
percent, against 83 percent for those using laboratory tests.
The WHO recommends that where resources are limited, AIDS treatments should be
determined by monitoring clinical signs alone.
© 2008 AFP
http://www.physorg.com/news128352592.html