HIV Medicine Association
View all recommendations from this societyReleased February 8, 2016
Don’t routinely test for CMV IgG in HIV-infected patients who have a high likelihood of being infected with CMV.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG testing is recommended only in patients who are at lower risk for CMV to detect latent CMV infection. CMV IgG testing is not necessary in patients at higher risk for CMV, including men who have sex with men and injection drug users, because they can be assumed to be CMV positive. Testing for CMV antibody in low-risk populations is recommended to foster patient counseling in avoidance of CMV infection through practicing safe sex and to avoid transfusion except with CMV-negative blood products. Patients at lower risk for CMV infection, e.g., patients who are heterosexual and have not injected drugs, should be tested for latent CMV infection with an anti-CMV IgG upon initiation of care.
1 These recommendations do not supersede grant reporting requirements. 2 Note: Some patients may still require a face to face visit every three to four months to make certain that other comorbid conditions are stable, and to assess if there are other social changes that might have surfaced which could impact HIV medication adherence. Multidisciplinary practices can consider interim visits with other non-prescribing practitioner team members to support treatment adherence. These items are provided solely for informational purposes and are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a medical professional. Patients with any specific questions about the items on this list or their individual situation should consult their physician.
How The List Was Created
An expert work group composed of four members of HIVMA’s Board of Directors directed the development of HIVMA’s Choosing Wisely list of “Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question.” The work group was provided with the ABIM Foundation guidelines on recommendation development, and identified a preliminary list of inappropriate and overused clinical practices. A list of five items was drafted and then vetted by the full HIVMA Board of Directors to develop a finalized list of consensus recommendations.
HIVMA’s disclosure and conflict of interest policy can be found at www.hivma.org.
Sources
Aberg JA, Gallant JE, Ghanem KG, Emmanuel P, Zingman BS, Horberg MA; Infectious Diseases Society of America. Primary care guidelines for the management of persons infected with HIV: 2013 update by the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Jan;58(1):1-10.
Panel on Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections in HIV-infected adults and adolescents: recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America; 2015 Apr. 414 p. Available at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/contentfiles/lvguidelines/adult_oi.pdf.
