Glossary

adherence the term to describe taking medication exactly as it is prescribed – taking it at the right time and following any diet advice.

anaemia shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

antibody a protein that is part of the immune system and which recognises an infection.

antigen infectious material produced by a virus or bacteria.

antiretroviral (ARV) an HIV drug (HIV is a retrovirus).

CD4 cell a type of white blood cell that help your body fight infection.

CD4 count number of CD4 cells in a drop of your blood. CD4 counts are measured in cells/mm³.

cholesterol kind of blood fat.

CMV cytomegalovirus, a viral infection.

combination therapy using 3 or more drugs together. Also called triple therapy, potent or effective therapy or HAART (highly active anti-retroviral therapy).

diabetes when the body does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that helps the body turn sugar into energy).

DNA deoxyribonucleic acid. Type of genetic material.

entry inhibitor (EI) a class anti-HIV drug. T-20 and maraviroc belong to this class. Includes CCR5 inhibitors.

RNA ribonucleic acid. Type of genetic material.

HAART a term for combination therapy (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy).

HIV human immunodeficiency virus.

integrase inhibitor (INI) a class anti-HIV drug. Raltegravir belongs to this class.

lipoatrophy fat loss in your arms, legs or face. A type of lipodystrophy.

lipodystrophy changes in blood fats, glucose levels and body fat distribution.

mutation a change in the structure of the virus that can stop a drug from working.

neuropathy damage to the nerves in your hands or feet.

NNRTI non-nuclocide reverse transcriptase inhibitor or non-nuke, a class of anti-HIV drug. Efavirenz, nevirapine and etravirine belong to this class.

nuke nucleocide or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor or RTI, a class of anti-HIV drug. AZT, 3TC, d4T, ddI, abacavir and tenfovoir belong to this class.

opportunistic infection (OI) an infection that occurs after your immune system has been damaged by HIV.

PCP pneumocystis jiroveci (new) or pneumocystis carinii (old). A fungal infection that causes pneumonia.

protease inhibitor (PI) a class of anti-HIV drug. Kaletra, atazanavir, fosamprenavir, saqinavir, nelfinavir, darunavir and tipranavir belongs to this class. Also ritonavir.

resistance change in the structure of HIV that stops a drug from working.

seroconversion the time after HIV infection (usually a few weeks) when your body generates an immune response to HIV.

side effects secondary effect of a drug other than the reason it is prescribed. Side effects are usually related to negative effects.

TB tuberculosis, a bacterial infection that commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but which can affect other organs.

therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) a test to measure the levels of drug in your blood.

thymus part of your immune system where new CD4 cells are made.

toxicity the term for the degree to which a substance harms a person.

treatment experienced someone who has previously used anti-HIV treatments.

treatment naive someone who has never taken any anti-HIV treatments before (people who are treatment naive can still be resistant to anti-HIV drugs if they were infected with a drug resistant strain of HIV).

trigycerides kind of blood fat.

undetectable having a viral load level below the limit of detection on a viral load test (level depends on the test, but usually below 50 copies/mL).

viral load amount of HIV in your body.

viral load test a test to measure the amount of HIV in blood, but which can also check levels in other compartments like genital fluid, semen or spinal fluid. Tests can only measure down to certain levels (ie 50 copies/mL).

viral rebound when your viral load starts to rise above detectable levels.

wild-type virus HIV that has not developed any mutations. This is usually, but not always, the virus that you are first infected with.

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