What is the treatment for
HIV?
Antiretroviral therapy (ART)
is the recommended
treatment for HIV infection.
ART involves taking a
combination (
regimen
) of three or more anti-HIV
medications daily. ART
prevents HIV from multiplying and
destroying infection-
ghting CD4 cells. is helps the body
ght o life-threatening infections and cancer.
ART can’t cure HIV, but
anti-HIV medications help people
infected with HIV live
longer, healthier lives.
Can treatment prevent HIV
from advancing to
AIDS?
Yes. Treatment with anti-HIV
medications prevents HIV
from multiplying and
destroying the immune system. is
helps the body
ght o life-threatening infections and
cancers and prevents HIV from
advancing to AIDS.
Terms Used in This Fact
Sheet:
AIDS:
Acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome. AIDS is the
most advanced stage of HIV
infection. AIDS is diagnosed
when a person infected with
HIV has a CD4 count of less
than 200 cells/mm
3
or has an AIDS-defining
condition.
AIDS-defining condition:
Any one of several illnesses
that
can lead to a diagnosis of
AIDS in a person infected with
HIV. AIDS is the most
advanced stage of HIV infection.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART):
The recommended treatment
for HIV. ART involves taking
a combination of three or more
anti-HIV medications from at
least two different drug
classes every day to control
the virus.
CD4 cells:
Also called T cells or CD4+ T
cells. Infection-
fighting white blood cells of
the immune system. HIV
destroys CD4 cells, making it
harder for the body to fight
infections.
CD4 count:
The number of CD4 cells in a
sample of blood.
A CD4 count measures how well
the immune system is
working.
HIV
:
Human immunodeficiency virus.
HIV is a virus that
attacks the immune system,
putting people infected with
HIV at risk for
life-threatening infections and cancer. AIDS is
the most advanced stage of
HIV infection.
Opportunistic infection:
An infection that occurs more
frequently or is more severe
in people with weakened
immune systems (such as
people with HIV or people
receiving chemotherapy) than
in people with healthy
immune systems.
Regimen:
A combination of three or
more anti-HIV
medications from at least two
different drug classes.
Transmission of HIV:
The spread of HIV from a
person
infected with HIV to another
person through the infected
person’s blood, semen,
genital fluids, or breast milk.
Unprotected sex:
Sex without using a condom.
It takes many years, but
without treatment, HIV infection
can advance to AIDS. A
diagnosis of AIDS requires that a
person infected with HIV have
either:
•
A
CD4 count
of less than 200 cells/mm
. (e CD4 count of a healthy
person ranges from 500 to 1,200 cells/mm.)
OR
•
An
AIDS-dening condition
. (AIDS-de
ning conditions
include
opportunistic infections
and cancers that are life-
threatening in a person with
HIV. Having an AIDS-
This information is based on the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services’
Guidelines for the Use of
Reviewed
Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected
Adults and Adolescents
(available at
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines
).
August 2012
ning condition signals that a person’s HIV infection has
advanced to AIDS.)
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