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What Is the Treatment for HIV?

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is the treatment for individuals infected with HIV. HAART is able to suppress the viral replication of HIV, effectively stopping the progression of this disease. A HAART regimen includes a combination of three or more drugs, such as two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and a protease inhibitor (PI), or two NRTIs and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). This treatment reduces the virus until it becomes undetectable in blood tests.

  1. Drugs

    • NRTIs are able to reverse the progression of HIV by being incorporated into the virus and preventing its elongation. PIs target the virus and prevent the activity of protease, which is an enzyme used by HIV to create new strains of the virus. NNRTI bind to the enzymes in HIV and interfere with their ability to function.

    Treatment

    • HAART is an effective treatment, because these drugs are able to work in combination to suppress HIV from replicating multiple times and destroying the immune system. According to the FDA, HAART's ability to disrupt HIV in different stages is the key to its success. HAART prevents replication by keeping the offspring of HIV low, and reducing the possibility of the virus mutating. HAART is prescribed in different combinations, because eventually, the body will reject a combination and it will stop being effective against HIV. A physician will prescribe a new combination for a patient.

    Benefits

    • Using HAART not only lowers the detection level in the blood and increases the number of CD4 cells, but HAART contributes to fewer infections and HIV-related cancers. HAART improves individuals' quality of life by allowing them to go back to work and make future plans with their lives. HAART has also prevented the transmission of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, bringing transmissions levels down to 1 to 2 percent of infected mothers.

    Side Effects

    • There are side effects that come along with HAART and they vary considerably depending on an individual's body and reaction to the drugs. The common side effects of HAART are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

    Considerations

    • It's important to remember that HAART is not a cure for HIV, and it is essential to stick to the regimen prescribed by a physician. The drugs have to be taken at their prescribed time, and if a patient goes off the guidelines or schedule, they will stop working.

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