Current treatment for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can prolong survival and enhance the quality of life in affected patients, although neither immune reconstitution nor cure can be achieved. Zidovudine is now the only licensed treatment. It is effective but sometimes toxic. Zidovudine decreases the incidence of opportunistic infections but does not prevent them, and concurrent prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia should be given to those patients at greatest risk of this infection. Most patients should have serial CD4+ T-cell determinations to assess their degree of immunodeficiency. Many investigational anti-HIV agents are being studied, and future treatments are likely to use multiple agents in combination or in sequence over many years.