Knowra Antiretroviral therapy Antiretroviral therapy Antiretroviral therapy is the use of medicines that suppress HIV replication, preserve immune function, and reduce the risk of HIV transmission. It usually combines drugs that target different stages of the viral life cycle.
HIV life cycle : The sequence of steps by which HIV enters a cell, copies its genetic material, and produces new virus particles. Antiretroviral drugs suppress HIV by interrupting specific steps in this cycle.
HIV treatment as prevention : The use of HIV treatment to reduce transmission by suppressing a person's viral load. Sustained viral suppression prevents sexual transmission of HIV.
HIV viral load : The amount of HIV RNA in a volume of blood, used to measure viral replication. Viral load shows whether a regimen is suppressing HIV.
AZT : Zidovudine, an early antiretroviral drug first approved for HIV treatment in 1987. AZT illustrates the limited early-drug era before effective combinations became available.
Reverse transcriptase inhibitor : A drug that blocks HIV reverse transcriptase, preventing the virus from copying its RNA into DNA. This drug class blocks an early step in HIV replication.
Undetectable equals untransmittable : The finding that people with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV sexually. It describes a major prevention consequence of effective therapy.
CD4 cell count : A measurement of CD4 T lymphocytes in blood, used to assess immune function in people with HIV. Preserving or restoring CD4 cells is a central treatment goal.
HIV treatment cascade : A public-health framework tracking diagnosis, linkage to care, treatment, and viral suppression among people with HIV. It reveals why drug efficacy alone does not guarantee population-level viral suppression.
Integrase inhibitor : A drug that blocks HIV integrase, preventing viral DNA from being inserted into a host cell's genome. Integrase inhibitors stop viral DNA from becoming part of infected cells' genomes.
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV : Interventions that reduce the risk of HIV transmission during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. Antiretroviral medicines are central to reducing perinatal transmission.
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