Antiretroviral therapy slows or stops the progression of HIV. People who take antiretroviral drugs as prescribed may remain in the chronic HIV stage for life and never develop stage 3 HIV. Stage 3 HIV, also known as AIDS, is the most advanced stage of the condition.
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What is HIV treatment?
What is HIV treatment? HIV treatment involves taking medicine that reduces the amount of HIV in your body. HIV medicine is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). There is no effective cure for HIV.
When should you develop a treatment plan for HIV?
Working with your health care provider to develop a treatment plan will help you learn more about HIV and manage it effectively. When Should You Start HIV Treatment? Treatment guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that a person living with HIV begin ART as soon as possible after diagnosis.
What are the stages of HIV?
There are three stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Each stage has a unique set of symptoms. These include the following This stage starts around two to four weeks after getting HIV. The symptoms are similar to those of the flu, which last for a week or two.
Why get and stay on HIV treatment?
Getting and staying on HIV treatment because it reduces the amount of HIV in your blood (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This keeps you healthy and prevents illness.
Which stage of HIV can be treated?
The three stages of HIV infection are (1) acute HIV infection, (2) chronic HIV infection, and (3) acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). There is no cure for HIV, but treatment with HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) can slow or prevent HIV from advancing from one stage to the next.
What treatment can prolong an HIV patients life?
Today, thanks to improvements in the effectiveness of treatment with HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART), people with HIV who are diagnosed early and who get and stay on ART can keep the virus suppressed and live long and healthy lives.
What are the 4 clinical stages of HIV?
Stages of HIV InfectionStages of Infection – (assuming no treatment) ... Stage 1: Infection. ... Stage 2: Asymptomatic. ... Stage 3: Symptomatic. ... Stage 4: AIDS/Progression of HIV to AIDS.
What is Stage 3 of HIV?
Stage 3 HIV, also known as AIDS, is the most advanced stage. It occurs when the immune system is damaged to the extent that it can no longer fight off infections. Taking antiretroviral drugs keeps the immune system strong enough to prevent HIV from progressing to this stage.
What are the 4 stages of infection?
The natural history of an untreated communicable disease has four stages: stage of exposure, stage of infection, stage of infectious disease, and stage of outcome.
What is clinical staging?
Listen to pronunciation. (KLIH-nih-kul STAY-jing) A method used to find out the stage of cancer (amount or spread of cancer in the body) using tests that are done before surgery. These include physical exams, imaging tests, laboratory tests (such as blood tests), and biopsies.
What is HIV treatment?
HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy or ART) involves taking medicine as prescribed by a health care provider. HIV treatment reduces the amount of...
When should I start HIV treatment?
Start HIV treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis. All people with HIV should take HIV treatment, no matter how long they’ve had HIV or how h...
What if I delay HIV treatment?
If you delay treatment, HIV will continue to harm your immune system. Delaying treatment will put you at higher risk for transmitting HIV to your p...
Are there different types of HIV treatment?
There are two types of HIV treatment: pills and shots. Pills are recommended for people who are just starting HIV treatment. There are many FDA-app...
What are HIV treatment shots?
HIV treatment shots are long-acting injections used to treat people with HIV. The shots are given by your health care provider and require routine...
Can I switch my HIV treatment from pills to shots?
Talk to your health care provider about changing your HIV treatment plan. Shots may be right for you if you are an adult with HIV who has an undete...
What are the benefits of taking my HIV treatment as prescribed?
HIV treatment reduces the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load). Taking your HIV medicine as prescribed will help keep your viral load low. HIV t...
Does HIV treatment cause side effects?
HIV treatment can cause side effects in some people. However, not everyone experiences side effects. The most common side effects are Nausea and vo...
What should I do if I’m thinking about having a baby?
Let your health care provider know if you or your partner is pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. They will determine the right type of HIV...
Can I take birth control while on HIV treatment?
You can use any method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. However, some HIV treatment may make hormone-based birth control less effective. Talk...
How long does it take to get rid of HIV?
There is no effective cure for HIV. But with proper medical care, you can control HIV. Most people can get the virus under control within six months. Taking HIV medicine does not prevent transmission ...
Why is it important to take HIV medication?
Taking HIV medication consistently, as prescribed, helps prevent drug resistance. Drug resistance develops when people with HIV are inconsistent with taking their HIV medication as prescribed. The virus can change (mutate) and will no longer respond to certain HIV medication. If you develop drug resistance, it will limit your options ...
What does it mean when your HIV is suppressed?
Viral suppression is defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood. HIV medicine can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (called an undetectable viral load ). If your viral load goes down after starting HIV treatment, that means treatment is working.
What is the amount of HIV in the blood called?
The amount of HIV in the blood is called viral load . Taking your HIV medicine as prescribed will help keep your viral load low and your CD4 cell count high. HIV medicine can make the viral load very low (called viral suppression ). Viral suppression is defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood.
How long does it take for a mother to give her baby HIV?
If a mother with HIV takes HIV medicine as prescribed throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery and gives HIV medicine to her baby for 4 to 6 weeks after birth, the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby can be 1% or less.
What to do if substance use is interfering with your ability to keep yourself healthy?
If substance use is interfering with your ability to keep yourself healthy, it may be time to quit or better manage it. If you need help finding substance use disorder treatment or mental health services, use SAMHSA’s Treatment Locator. external icon. .
Does HIV harm the immune system?
HIV will continue to harm your immune system. This will put you at higher risk for developing AIDS. Learn more about AIDS and opportunistic infections. This will put you at higher risk for transmitting HIV to your sexual and injection partners.
What is the treatment for HIV?
HIV treatment involves taking medicines that slow the progression of the virus in your body. HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, and the combination of drugs used to treat it is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is recommended for all people living with HIV, regardless of how long they’ve had the virus or how healthy they are.
Why do you prescribe HIV?
Your health care provider may prescribe medicines to prevent certain infections. HIV treatment is most likely to be successful when you know what to expect and are committed to taking your medicines exactly as prescribed.
What is drug resistance in HIV?
What Is HIV Drug Resistance? Drug resistance can be a cause of treatment failure for people living with HIV. As HIV multiplies in the body, it sometimes mutates (changes form) and produces variations of itself. Variations of HIV that develop while a person is taking ART can lead to drug-resistant strains of HIV.
How long do HIV side effects last?
Some side effects can occur once you start a medicine and may only last a few days or weeks.
How soon can you start ART for HIV?
Treatment guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that a person living with HIV begin ART as soon as possible after diagnosis. Starting ART slows the progression of HIV and can keep you healthy for many years.
Is HIV treatment a prevention?
There is also a major prevention benefit. People living with HIV who take HIV medication daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partners. This is called treatment as prevention.
Can HIV be drug resistant?
A person can initially be infected with drug-resistant HIV or develop drug-resistant HIV after starting HIV medicines. Drug-resistant HIV also can spread from person to person. Drug-resistance testing identifies which, if any, HIV medicines won’t be effective against your specific strain of HIV.
What is the purpose of HIV treatment?
Hence, treating HIV with antiretroviral therapy (ART, HIV medicine) is necessary to reduce the viral load and prevent transmission of HIV to the patient’s sexual partners.
What is the stage 4 of HIV?
The lower these levels fall, the worse your infection. Ultimately, the count may drop so low it's classified as AID S, stage 4 of HIV. Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) attacks the cells of the immune system.
What are the different types of HIV tests?
What are the types of HIV tests? There are three types of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tests used to diagnose HIV infections, which are. Antibody tests: These tests check for HIV antibodies in the blood or oral fluid. Antigen/antibody tests: These help to detect both HIV antibodies and antigens in the blood.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the precursor infection to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is transmitted through blood and genital secretions; most people get it through sexual contact or sharing needles for illegal IV drug use.
How does CD4 help with HIV?
HIV spreads mainly via body fluids (blood and semen) from the infected person. If untreated, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ).
What are the early signs of HIV?
Some people with HIV don’t have any signs or symptoms. Early signs and symptoms of HIV infection include mononucleosis-like or flu-like symptoms, which include body aches, fever, ...
How long can you live with HIV?
Without HIV treatment, the person can remain in this stage for 10 to 15 years. However, the virus remains active during this stage.
What is the most advanced stage of HIV?
Stage 3 HIV, also known as AIDS, is the most advanced stage of the condition. This occurs when the person’s immune system is badly damaged and can no longer fight off infections. People who take antiretroviral therapy can maintain a low viral load and may never develop stage 3 HIV.
How many stages does HIV progress through?
Symptoms and progression also differ between individuals. Without treatment, an HIV infection tends to progress through three stages. Trusted Source.
What happens after HIV is acute?
After the acute phase, HIV continues to reproduce at very low levels in the body, and it continues to damage the immune cells. People typically do not experience symptoms or get sick from the virus during this stage.
What is the role of HIV in the immune system?
Getty Images. HIV is a virus that targets the body’s immune system. The virus attaches to , enters, and damages or destroys white blood cells called CD4 T cells. These cells are important for helping the body fight off infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
How long does HIV last without medication?
This stage is also known as asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency. Without medication, the chronic stage of an HIV infection can last for a decade or more. People can still transmit the virus to others during this time. Antiretroviral therapy slows or stops the progression of HIV.
How does HIV affect the immune system?
Without treatment, HIV gradually damages more and more cells , weakening the immune system over a number of years. Eventually, the body is unable to fight off infections. However, treatments known as antiretroviral therapy reduce the amount of HIV in the blood to very low levels.
How many people in the US have HIV?
HIV is a virus that targets the immune system. The signs and symptoms differ depending on a person’s stage of HIV infection. Around 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, but many are not aware of their status, partly due to a lack of symptoms. An estimated 1 in 7 people with HIV do not know they have it.
Binding stage antivirals
CCR5 antagonists block the CCR5 coreceptor on the surface of your CD4 cells to disrupt the binding phase. CCR5 is the primary coreceptor used by the GP120 glycoprotein on the surface of HIV to enter your cells.
Fusion stage antivirals
Fusion inhibitors block the ability of the HIV envelope to combine itself with the membrane of a CD4 cell. This action prevents the virus from entering your cells.
Reverse transcription stage antivirals
NRTIs block HIV from using the reverse transcriptase enzyme to replicate. Reverse transcriptase allows the virus to convert its RNA to DNA in the reverse transcription stage of its life cycle. The drug prevents the virus from copying its RNA into DNA accurately.
Integration stage antivirals
Integrase strand transfer inhibitors block the enzyme integrase that HIV uses to combine its reverse-transcribed DNA with the DNA of your cell during the integration stage.
Budding stage antivirals
Protease inhibitors block the enzyme protease during the budding stage. Protease is an enzyme that allows immature HIV to become mature viruses that can infect other CD4 cells.
Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection
This is the first stage of an HIV infection. It starts about 2 to 4 weeks after the virus enters your body and lasts about 2 weeks. Symptoms in this early stage are similar to the flu. They include:
Stage 2: Chronic HIV Infection
Other names for this stage are the asymptomatic stage or clinical latency. At this stage, you still have the virus in your body but at low levels. It’s possible you won’t notice any symptoms. But as long as the virus is at detectable levels, you can pass the infection to another person.
Stage 3: AIDS
When a chronic HIV infection moves on to AIDS, the amount of HIV in the blood shoots up and the amount of your infection-fighting immune cells drops. Doctors diagnose AIDS when these cells, called CD4 cells, drop below 200 per cubic millimeter of blood.
