ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT

 ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT FOR HIV.
Antiretroviral treatment (also known as antiretroviral therapy or ART) are the drugs that treat HIV .People living with HIV are taking treatment and staying healthy as a result. Current treatment for HIV is not a cure for HIV, but it can keep under control very effectively
ART works by keeping the level of HIV in your body low (your viral load).This lets your immune system recover and stay strong .Keeping your viral load low helps to prevent HIV being passed on, With good healthcare treatment many people with HIV are living Justas long as people who don’t have the virus.
Effective treatment means that some people living with HIV are achieving an undetectable viral load. This means that the virus exists in such small quantities in their blood that it does not affect their health and there is zero risk of transmitting the virus on to others, but if one stops taking the medication the viral load will go back up again.
It is recommended that people living with HIV start antiretroviral treatment straight away, the decision about when to start treatment is still dependant upon a CD4 count test, which looks at how many CD4 cells are in a small amount of blood, the CD4 cells (also called T-helper cells) are an important part of the immune system because they fight germs and infections. HIV attacks CD4 cells and reduces the number of them in your body to fight off illness or infections.
The drugs used to treat HIV are called ARVS. There are several different types and they work in different ways.HIV treatment is made up of three or more antiretroviral drugs taking together. Sometimes these drugs are combined into one pill. Most antiretroviral drugs are taken once in a day, with or without food. However, some drugs are taken twice a day, or should be taken with food, some people find this to be difficult and they talk with their doctors about other options.
As with all medications, starting to take the ARVS can cause some side effects particularly in the first days of treatment, one should discuss this with the doctor, as it might also affect ones choice of drugs. One’s treatment will be monitored and you may be recommended to switch drugs if they aren’t working for you.
VENNESA ATIENO OWINO

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