As the number of children affected by the HIV epidemic increases, the primary care physician can have an important role in ensuring that these children receive comprehensive health care. Clinical aspects of pediatric HIV disease are reviewed, including the recently revised Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classification system. Important advances include the development and application of techniques for establishing in early infancy whether or not a child is infected. The implications for the use of these techniques are discussed, and recommendations are made for a system of coordinated care between the primary care physician and specialty clinic. Specific treatment approaches, such as the early introduction of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia prophylaxis, antiretroviral medications, and the use of intravenous immunoglobulin, are discussed.