HIV: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) - Topic Overview
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is the combination of several antiretroviral medicines used to slow the rate at which HIV makes copies of itself (multiplies) in the body. A combination of three or more antiretroviral medicines is more effective than using just one medicine (monotherapy) to treat HIV.
The use of three or more antiretroviral medicines-sometimes referred to as an anti-HIV "cocktail"-is currently the standard treatment for HIV infection. So far, this treatment offers the best chance of preventing HIV from multiplying, which allows your immune system to stay healthy. The goal of antiretroviral therapy is to reduce the amount of virus in your body (viral load) to a level that can no longer be detected with current blood tests.
Dementia is a condition that leads to the loss of intellectual abilities such as memory, judgment, and abstract thinking. It can also cause changes in personality. AIDS Dementia Complex (or ADC) is a type of dementia that occurs in advanced stages of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). AIDS is a later stage of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection. ADC leads to a diverse group of symptoms that affect your ability to function in work and life. It can be fatal. Before HIV medications...
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Antiretroviral medicines that are often used to treat HIV include:
- Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, also called nucleoside analogs, such as tenofovir, emtricitabine, lamivudine, and abacavir. These medicines are often combined for best results.
- Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), such as efavirenz, nevirapine, or etravirine.
- Protease inhibitors (PIs), such as atazanavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, fosamprenavir, lopinavir, darunavir, or tipranavir.
- Fusion and entry inhibitors, such as enfuvirtide and maraviroc.
- Integrase inhibitors, such as raltegravir.
Some medicines are available combined together in one pill. This reduces the number of pills needed to be taken each day.
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