13. When to Start HIV Therapy
View in chapter → Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and Treatment of Persons Living with HIV and Active TB
Last Updated April 2026
| HHS Panel Recommendations on treatment of Tuberculosis Disease with HIV co-infection: Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Initiation relative to TB treatment | |
|---|---|
| CD4 count and/or clinical status at time of TB diagnosis | ART Initiation |
| < 50 cells/mm³ | within 2 weeks of starting TB therapy. |
| > 50 cells/mm³ | within 2-8 weeks of starting TB therapy |
| Pregnant, any CD4 count | As early as feasible |
Above based on guidelines developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Panel on Guidelines for Use of Antiretroviral Agents for Adults and Adolescents and Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant Women with HIV Infection and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal Transmission in the United States, last reviewed and updated April 15, 2019
(https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines/hiv-clinical-guidelines-adult-and-adolescent-opportunistic-infections/mycobacterium?view=full).