HIV Wasting:
Initial Therapy with rhGH[m] (Serostim®)
• Begin 12-week course of therapy if patient meets wasting definition
• Document response to therapy by obtaining serial BW and calculating BCM
• Continue therapy if response is positive
(2% increase in BW and/or BCM) and wasting is still evident


Treatment Guidelines for HIV-Associated Wasting, Consensus Development Panel Meeting, New York, NY; July 26, 2000.



• A patient who meets the definition of HIV-associated wasting can be started on a 12-week course of therapy with recombinant human growth hormone.1

• During therapy, the clinician should document the patient’s response to therapy by obtaining serial body weights and body cell mass assessments. If there is a positive response to treatment, as evidenced by a 2% increase in body weight or body cell mass, growth hormone therapy may be continued on a monthly basis as long as wasting is still evident.

Reference:

1. Treatment Guidelines for HIV-Associated Wasting, Consensus Development Panel Meeting, July 26, 2000, New York, NY.