Brazilian Protocol for Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2020: HIV infection in adolescents and adults

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Lauro Ferreira da Silva Pinto Neto, Filipe de Barros Perini, Mayra Gonçalves Aragón, Marcelo Araújo Freitas, Angélica Espinosa Miranda
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2021
• Subjects: Clinical protocols; HIV; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Drug therapy; Comorbidity; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-588-2020; https://doaj.org/article/b0e6ee686c9140a6a2242fcd46fbde21

Abstract HIV infection is presented in the chapters of the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutic Guidelines for Comprehensive Care for People with Sexually Transmitted Infections, published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health in 2020. Health professionals and managers must learn the signs and symptoms of HIV infection and know how to diagnose it to provide appropriate treatment and reduce complications. HIV infection has become a chronic disease. Its treatment includes addressing common comorbidities such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, in addition to cardiac risk assessment, cancer prevention, and guidance on immunization. Initiation of treatment for HIV patients is recommended regardless of clinical or immunological criteria as adopted by the Ministry of Health since 2013. Lately, it has been simplified with more tolerable first-line medications and fewer drug interactions, making its management easy to implement, including by primary health care.