Guidelines Subcommittee

Since the 1990s, BHIVA has been producing guidelines for the management of HIV infection, which, while primarily intended for the use of UK physicians, have international influence. Guidelines are drafted by our writing groups and then placed on the BHIVA website for consultation by all interested parties. Finalised guidelines are usually published in HIV Medicine. This year has been a busy one for the BHIVA Guidelines Subcommittee and a whole series of guidelines will be published in the next year. Detailed below are the guidelines currently in preparation, with anticipated publication dates. The Treatment Guidelines take into account all the new information available at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held in Boston in February 2008. Detailed toxicity and opportunistic infection guidelines are also planned for next year and a thorough review of all the guidelines will be available on the website for comments. The Malignancy Guidelines, which have recently been published in HIV Medicine, are of international importance as no guidelines on the management of tumours in the context of HIV have previously been published.

We are proposing updated guidelines on hepatitis, and the newly formed Hepatitis Working Group will consider this in detail. The Pregnancy Guidelines have been recently updated and very important guidelines on our views about HIV testing will be launched in September 2008. These guidelines are particularly important following both the Chief Medical Officers’ letter, encouraging us all to test for HIV more widely, and the EACS conference, at which there was a widespread consensus that many individuals who did not know their status, were contributing to the overall epidemic and by presenting late, had a worse prognosis.

Members who would like to be involved in a Guidelines Writing Group or have other ideas for further guidelines, should contact the BHIVA Secretariat.