HIV Digest	HIV Digest Archive

View our poll archive

Researchers in Philadelphia have found evidence that the immune systems of HIV-infected teenagers can rebound quickly after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

"The research suggests adolescent patients have a more robust immune system, and we should start treating them very aggressively early on," said Dr. Steven D. Douglas, of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "But that's just speculation."

The study included 192 HIV-positive and 78 HIV-negative youths. Compared to the uninfected group, the HIV-infected individuals had lower CD4 cell counts; but one surprising discovery was that the infected teenagers had much higher CD8 cells counts than the HIV-negative teens. The finding reinforces a theory that HIV-positive adolescents have functioning thyroid tissue and stronger immune systems than HIV-infected adults, so they, thus, may have better cytotoxic T-lymphocyte and other responses than both HIV-infected adults or children.

Editor's Note: from AIDS Alert