Diabetes UK.

The survival of patients in group B, who presented late, was found to be significantly better than the survival of patients in group A, who presented early. This finding is consistent with the. view that the onset of AIDS is delayed in patients who receive early medical intervention in HIV infection.""'2 However, the finding suggests that the subsequent survival of these patients when they develop AIDS may be commensurately decreased. We believe that our data are compatible with the results of the Concorde and other studies, in which early intervention with zidovudine delayed the development of AIDS but did not affect survival overall.'0 1213In conclusion, this study highlights the scale of the public health problem posed by patients presenting with AIDS coincidental with their first positive result in an HIV test. It also contributes to the debate on the effects of medical intervention on survival after an AIDS defining illness has developed.

T h e ne w e ngl a nd jou r na l o f m e dic i ne n engl j med 363;2 nejm

No abstract