Executive summary: 2013 update of the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections in HIV-exposed and HIV-infected children

Abstract

This executive report provides an overview of the 2013 update of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children in the United States. The full text of the guidelines is available online at www.aidsinfo.nih.gov and as a supplement to the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. These guidelines are intended for use by clinicians and other health-care workers providing medical care for HIV-exposed and HIV-infected children in the United States. A separate document providing recommendations for prevention and treatment of OIs among HIV-infected adults and postpubertal adolescents (Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents) was prepared by a working group of adult HIV and infectious disease specialists and is also available at www.aidsinfo.nih.gov.

The guidelines were developed by a panel of specialists in pediatric HIV infection and infectious diseases (the Panel on Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children) from the U.S. government and academic institutions, under the auspices of the NIH Office for AIDS Research (OAR). For each OI, one or more pediatric specialists with subject-matter expertise reviewed the literature for new information since the last guidelines were published (2009) and then proposed revised recommendations for review by the full Panel. After these reviews and discussions, the guidelines underwent further revision, with review and approval by the Panel, followed by review by CDC subject matter experts, and final review and endorsement by NIH, CDC, the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Treatment of OIs is an evolving science, and availability of new agents or clinical data on existing agents may change therapeutic options and preferences. As a result, these recommendations will need to be periodically updated. Interim updates to recommendations will be posted on the www.aids.nih.gov website as needed and the full guidelines document will continue to be reviewed and updated every 2–3 years. Consultation with an expert in the management of HIV infection and OIs in children is also encouraged.