Washington (H24N). HIV patients who are treated early in their infections may not need to take drugs constantly to keep the virus from causing AIDS.

A new study shows that some people who receive antiviral drugs soon after their initial exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus, then later stop taking those drugs, may in effect "educate" their bodies to fight off the virus for long periods of time, possibly for the rest of their lives.

The study took a look at 16 patients whose infections were so recent that they didn't even show up on standard HIV tests; they'd come down with flu-like symptoms typical of initial HIV exposure. All of the patients decided to undergo a drug regimen known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. That procedure reduced the viral levels in 15 of the patients to undetectable levels.

Eventually eight of the patients chose to stop taking the drugs; in three weeks the virus had shown up in their blood, and most resumed drug therapy. But the study says two of the patients' virus count stayed so low they opted out of the HAART treatment, and have remained off with no ill effect. The rest of the patients later suspended their drug therapies, only resuming once the virus reappeared. One patient has since suspended the HAART treatment for a third time.

The study, which appears in today's issue of the health journal Nature, suggests that over time a patient can bolster his immune response to HIV infection by "weaning" himself off antiviral drugs, most effectively when that infection is caught at the earliest stages. It's not clear what the implications are for people with longstanding infections.

"This news is promising, and it underscores the need for early intervention," said Michael Cover, associate executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Whitman-Walker Clinic, the nation's leading HIV and AIDS service provider. "It doesn't mean that everyone should stop using their medications. HIV affects everyone in different ways, and you should always consult with your doctor."

Douglas Ward, a D.C.-based physician who treats a large number of HIV-infected patients, calls the study interesting, even if it does apply to very few patients. "The flu-like symptoms of the initial HIV exposure are so ill defined that it's hard to recognize. I'd say if someone had unprotected sex, then later got sick – within one to three weeks--your doctor might catch it if he looked specifically for the virus, and not the antibodies to the virus. But that doesn't happen very often."

Still Ward says the study illustrates a "unique" opportunity. "If you treat the patient at that initial stage you can dramatically affect the course of the infection." Cover adds that the study demonstrates once again how valuable getting tested is. "If I can get one thing across it's this: If you're sexually active or using intravenous drugs, you need to know your HIV status. Education and prevention are still the best weapons we have against the epidemic."

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