Research may be the only chance to get certain drugs, and these drugs may be the only hope of getting better. A child's parent or guardian must give written permission before a child can join a clinical trial. In the Bay Area, there are several places where you can get information about children with HIV and clinical trials. You can do a Trials Search keyword query to get a list of all current studies. It can mean people from 13 to 18 years old, or 13 to 21 years old, or 13 to 26 years old.
Youth are different physically and emotionally from both children and adults.
Health care and support programs for youth take these differences into account. Most clinical trials allow youth to join. Often people between ages 13 and 18 are eligible for both child and adult clinical trials. Age restrictions are listed for trials in the trial description. Even if you get medical care at a clinic without permission, you usually cannot join a trial without your parents' or guardian's consent.