Antiretroviral therapy - meaning and definition
AlsoHIV treatmentantiretroviralsHAARTARTARVsHIV medication
Not yet reviewed by a clinician. This health entry was written from the public-health sources listed below and is general information only. It is not medical advice.
Definition
Antiretroviral therapy is the combination of medicines used to treat HIV by stopping the virus from multiplying, allowing the immune system to stay healthy.
At a glance
- ART is a combination of medicines that stops HIV from multiplying.
- It is usually a daily pill or a regular long-acting injection.
- ART does not cure HIV but can lower the virus to undetectable levels.
- Guidelines recommend starting treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis.
- An undetectable viral load on ART means HIV cannot be passed on through sex.
In detail
ART is usually a daily pill or a regular long-acting injection. It does not cure HIV, but it reduces the amount of virus in the body, often to undetectable levels, and protects the immune system.
Health guidelines recommend starting treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis. People who take ART as prescribed and keep an undetectable viral load cannot pass HIV on through sex, which makes treatment a powerful form of prevention as well as care.
In a sentence
- He started antiretroviral therapy the week after his diagnosis.
- The HIV clinic talked her through switching to a long-acting injection.
Where the word comes from
Combination treatment, at first called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), became the standard of care from the mid-1990s and transformed the outlook for people living with HIV.
Not to be confused with
- PrEP
PrEP uses some of the same medicines, but it is taken by HIV-negative people to prevent infection.
Common questions
Does antiretroviral therapy cure HIV?
No. ART controls the virus and protects the immune system but does not remove HIV from the body, so it is taken long term. Taken as prescribed, it allows a near-normal lifespan.
Why is HIV treatment also called prevention?
When ART keeps someone's viral load undetectable, they cannot pass HIV on through sex. This is the basis of U=U and "treatment as prevention". An HIV clinic can advise on individual treatment.