This paper is aimed at providing a comprehensive review of markers,
cofactors and staging systems used for HIV disease, focusing on some
aspects that nowadays could even be considered historical, and advancing in
current issues such as the prognostic value of viral load measurements,
viral genotypic and phenotypic characterization, and new HIV disease
treatment protocols. CD4^+ cell values, combined with the new viral markers
mentioned are promising as a parsimonious predictor set for defining both
severity and progression. An adequate predictor of patient resource use for
planning purposes still needs to be defined.
