PENTA guidelines for the use of antiretroviral therapy in paediatric HIV infection

OBJECTIVE: To produce European Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-infected children. DESIGN: Systematic literature review using Medline, the major antiretroviral conference reports, and IDSA recommendations on guideline production. SETTING: Pediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA) Steering Committee. OUTCOME MEASURE: Guidelines have been produced for the use of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected children in Europe. Recommendations on when to start ART and which ART to start, with dosages and a summary of the relevant literature, have been produced. CONCLUSIONS: These guidelines are aimed at assisting paediatricians in Europe with ART prescribing, and provide a more cautious approach to starting therapy than current paediatric USA guidelines.