SMART Study.

The SMART Study continues enrollment in Houston and around the world. SMART stands for Strategies for the Management of Anti-Retroviral Therapy. The study will involve 6,000 patients and last for at least 8 years. The goal of the study is to learn whether delayed, broken-up treatment for HIV

is just as effective as immediate, uninterrupted treatment. Information will also be gathered on the long-term side effects of HIV treatment and the effects on quality of life. The study is open to men and women with HIV, age 13 or older. To volunteer, you must have a T cell count of at least 350 and you must be willing to start, stop, or change HIV medications, depending on the study group to which you are assigned. For the first year of the study, you will have to see the doctor once every 2 months. After that, you will see the doctor 3 times a year. For safety, you cannot volunteer for the study while you are pregnant, but you can volunteer after the baby is born. Some patients who enroll in the study will be able to participate in smaller substudies focusing on topics like lipodystrophy and anal cancer screening; these may require special test and scans. In Houston, this study is available at several sites: Thomas Street Clinic, the Veteran's Administration Medical Center, the University Clinical Research Center at UT, and Montrose Clinic. For more information, call Hilda Cuervo at 713-500-6731. The study website is www.smart-trial.org.