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Initial Treatment for AIDS

The AIDS epidemic began in the early 1980's when there were no viable treatments for HIV infection. Advances in HIV research have led to the development of a number of drugs that can be used to treat the infection even when it progresses into AIDS.

  1. Antiretroviral Medicines

    • Antiretroviral medications or ARV's are used to treat HIV infection by preventing it from entering cells or reproducing within them. These medications are used as an initial treatment if the infection develops into AIDS.

    Combination Therapy

    • Different classes of ARV medications are used in combination with each other in order to hinder the HIV virus in several ways. Of the five classes of ARV's available, combination therapy generally uses two classes at a time.

    Treatment Length

    • ARV treatment generally begins when an individual's CD4 immune cell count drops below 350 or when they develop AIDS-defining illnesses. Treatment must be continued for the remainder of the patient's life.

    Opportunistic Infections

    • AIDS generally is accompanied by opportunistic infections. These infections will be treated alongside the ARV therapy in order to prevent them from becoming severe.

    Adherence

    • All ARV medications must be taken on time in order to prevent viral resistance. If the HIV virus is able to develop resistance due to missed doses, the drugs that are being given can cease to work.

    Treatment Failure

    • When viral resistance reaches a point where initial treatment no longer works, the patient is said to be in treatment failure. A second-wave treatment must be started with new drugs to get the virus under control.

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